The goal of this paper is to highlight the characteristics and critical success factors of the strategic collaboration among customers and suppliers in the Italian context and to identify what the role of the Purchasing Department is in the management of these key relationships. The study highlights the main characteristics of a strategic buyer-supplier collaboration in Italy and underlines the focus of these relationships on specific process (as the new product development) or projects. Moreover, the critical success factors for a strategic collaboration with a supplier are presented as a result of a case study. Finally, this study demonstrates that the Purchasing managers are still marginal in the relevant phases of a strategic relationship with the suppliers, despite of the growing need for their crucial contribution in the strategic processes.