Arezzo, the Italian gathering of masters of elegance arrives which will liven up the streets of the center on 6 and 7 May.

Arezzo, the Italian gathering of masters of elegance arrives which will liven up the streets of the center on 6 and 7 May.

The "crisis" of the seventh year of marriage? For dandies it's… a mustache. The Italian gathering of masters of elegance returns to animate the streets of the historic center of Arezzo: in conjunction with the Antiques Fair - scheduled for 6 and 7 May - the DandyDays will also take place. The "demonstration" within the "demonstration" is organized with the patronage of the Municipality and the Province, the support of the Arezzo Intour Foundation and the collaboration of Casa Thevenin which welcomes children with family problems, school difficulties and single mothers in difficult situations. This year too, the event renews its philanthropic intent: the funds raised will be donated to the Arezzo institute for the construction of rooms for new adults.

 

Two days of fashion and art dedicated to solidarity

“With the Antiques Fair in May the DandyDays return and Arezzo becomes the perfect setting to celebrate elegance – declares Simone Chierici, councilor for tourism of the Municipality of Arezzo and president of the Arezzo Intour Foundation –. We are pleased to welcome an event that fits well with our city, and with the refined and refined spirit that distinguishes it. An initiative which, in addition to beauty, enhances solidarity and which will in fact see the Dandy collaborate again with Casa Thevenin".

 

All together for Casa Thevenin

“Once again our institute is a partner of DandyDays, a collateral event of the Antiques Fair which brings to Arezzo, from all over Italy and beyond, important testimonials of elegance, know-how and good manners – says Sandro Sarri, President of the Foundation Thevenin –. A two-day event that over the years has brought some great contributions to our reality, allowing us to make ourselves known to people who then remember us all year round. A dutiful thank you goes to the creators of this beautiful adventure, Alessio and Stefania, to all the institutions that together with our friendly companies support us every time with important contributions whether in money or in services, but the biggest thanks goes to all the dandy and to all those who will participate in the many initiatives put in place for this May 2023 edition".

 

The organizers

Alessio Ginestrini and Stefania Severi, owners of “Impero Progressive barber shop & hair therapy” in Arezzo and patron of the event go into detail. “We want to define the 2023 edition with one word: 'Completeness'. We worked hard to organize it: we managed to involve more than 50 production activities - Made in Italy excellence - who will meet in Arezzo to collaborate, with a bow to solidarity. Every collateral event, from the competition with city bikes to the picnic on the grass, will be embellished with the colors of the monuments of the historic centre, refined alchemies with the antiques fair". Dandies, gentlemen and dandy ladies from all over Europe therefore "will meet in our city to bring the hands of seduction back to the 70s and the frenzy of Corso Italia, beautiful, carefree and full of hope".

 

The guests

Stefano Agnoloni, master of style and expert in good manners and master of ceremonies of the event since the first edition, will be present at the "DandyDays" 2023; Niccolò Cesari, successful brand ambassador and digital creative and Andrea Raffaelli, web influencer and social media manager and author of "The Italian gentleman - The Marchese's blog". This year's exceptional guests will be Damiano Landi, consul of the Italian Touring Club, as well as Knight of the Archconfraternity of the Guelph Party and Meritorious Academician of the Knights of Saint Stephen, Valentino Odorico, fashion and lifestyle journalist, writes for numerous international sector publications, the actor and model Luca Gugliemi, descendant of Rudolph Valentino from whom he inherited the magnetic gaze and passion for acting and the well-known Neapolitan tailors Gennaro Formosa and Aldo Trama.

 

 

THE PROGRAM OF THE EVENT

Saturday May 6th

• At 10am, guests will meet in the Atrium of Honor of the Palazzo della Provincia di Arezzo, where the artisans and merchants sponsoring the event will meet for the first day of the gathering for an exhibition of high-quality handcrafted clothing and accessories. level.

Also at 10 am, the first city bike competition entitled "RSC Elegance Bicycles" will gather in Prato di Arezzo in a static exhibition. The historic "classic and walking" bicycles will remain on display for enthusiasts and the curious until 18pm. The staff of the Historical Cycle Registry and the Cyclist's Library will be available for all enthusiasts looking for information.

(NB. Anyone who wants to participate with their own vintage bicycle with rod brakes and matching dress code can register at the moment by donating a small fee to Casa Thevenin).

The oldest park in the city will also be the backdrop to the National Historical Group of the Prato Fire Brigade with vintage vehicles, flanked by the flags of the cultural association Museo Parco delle Rimembranze, on display.

• At 11,30 the official ribbon cutting with the presence of the city authorities at the Atrium of Honor of the Province (Via Ricasoli, 50). At midday the dandies and their ladies will begin their walk through the streets of the historic center to discover the city and the hidden treasures of the stalls of the Antiques Fair.
• At 13pm everyone will have a private welcome brunch in the cloister of the Municipality, where it will be possible to admire the colors of the Giostra del Saracino.
• At 14,30 pm the guided walk of the dandies will continue with the accompaniment of the tourist guide Debora Bresciani in the direction of the national archaeological museum dedicated to Gaio Cilnio Mecenate, which stands on the remains of the Roman amphitheatre.
• At 16pm we will return to Prato di Arezzo where the experts from the Historical Cycle Registry will reward the most beautiful historic bike on display.
• At 17.30 pm the group of dandies will arrive in the small square of San Michele where a round table moderated by the Arezzo writer Francesco Maria Rossi will be held, entitled "Even dandies eat beans". Food, territory, sustainability and elegance: those who dream win over those who think.
• At 21pm, a private gala dinner for charity in the garden of Casa del Thevenin (Via Sasso Verde, 32), raising funds for the institute. The event will be curated by food and wine professionals from the Arezzo area, enriched by the presence of the Italian sommelier association (Ais Toscana), the national association of grappa and spirit tasters (Anag Toscana) and the Tuscan cigar company (Cts) which for the occasion will present its production of high quality Italian cigars made according to the tradition of Tuscan tobacco growing in the Tiber Valley. Guest of the evening - presented by the show girl Valentina Marconi - will be the Italian-Swiss singer Sonia Mazza who, after the success of the Sanremo Music Awards in Cuba, will perform in a trio, with double bass and guitar and will present the pieces from her new acoustic album.

 

 

Sunday May 7th

• We start again at 10 with the guests meeting in the Atrium of Honor of the Palazzo della Provincia di Arezzo, where the artisans and merchants sponsoring the event will meet for the last day of the gathering for an exhibition of clothing and high-level handcrafted accessories.
• At 10,30 am, a parade of vintage cars through the streets of the historic center of the "Friends of Rust" group which will then enter the Prato, to gather in a static exhibition in the city park for the whole day. Registrations for the historic vehicle event will be donated entirely to Casa Thevenin.
• At 11am the dandies meet in the Atrium of honor of the Palazzo della Provincia di Arezzo for an excursion to the Gold Museum.
• At 12 in Prato di Arezzo the first “Petit dejeuner sur l'herbe” will be held in contact with the nature, history, architecture and art of the area. Upon arrival, each participant will be given a picnic box containing a careful selection of typical Arezzo products to be tasted on the lawn with a British-style tablecloth. An original opportunity for refined palates, open to adults and children, to spend a day full of conviviality and fun in the company of the dandy guests of the event. During breakfast on the grass, some dance schools, gyms and street artists will perform rehearsals that will form the backdrop to the event. All proceeds from the offerings will be donated to the Thevenin home.
• At 14,30 pm there will be a guided tour with Chiara Barbagli at the national museum of medieval and modern art.
• At 16pm, Elisa Volta's new book “Bon ton a quattro legge” will be presented as an absolute national preview. Pet Etiquette Manual” (Effedì editions) dedicated to the elegance and good manners of our furry friends and beyond.
• At 18pm, meeting at the Atrium of Honor of the Province enriched by the presence of the Italian Sommelier Association (Ais Toscana) with Strada del vino Terre di Arezzo, to say goodbye and see you at the next edition of DandyDays.

 

 

THE TALK SHOW

“Even dandies eat beans”

Saturday 6 May – 16pm

Piazza San Michele (Corso Italia)

 

As per tradition, this year too the DandyDays will host a moment of discussion and reflection on the style and "challenges" of the future: the 2023 round table, scheduled for Saturday 6 May at 16pm in Piazza San Michele (Corso Italia) and moderated by the Arezzo writer Francesco Maria Rossi, is entitled “Even dandies eat beans. Food, territory, sustainability and elegance: those who dream win over those who think."

At the center (table) therefore environmental sustainability, "green dandy" between consumerism and happy degrowth, virtuality and matter. But this year the aim is to go to the source of life and talk about food, nutrition, health on the plate and protection of the territory. If it is true that man is what he eats, then everyone - dandy or non-dandy, utopian or right-thinking - has the moral obligation to eat well and allow others to do so too, between personal freedom and collective belonging.

The DandyDays aim once again to stimulate a collective reflection and that is that contemporary dandyism has something important to say (and do) on all these fundamental themes, with a great sense of responsibility and awareness. If it is true that current mass society has denied naturalness and spontaneity, fragmenting reality into a thousand streams, if it is true that consumption has won over politics and religion, pervading even the most intimate areas of the human race, then the dandy, in his continuous search for unity through ethical and aesthetic means, in his individualism filled with a sense of personal responsibility, in his utopian search for elegance and all-round stylistic sincerity, can truly make a contribution to saving the beauty of the world, that is, the very essence of our life and the sense of justice, equity and freedom according to the motto: "Eat well, eat everyone".

Naturally we will talk about many other things: beauty as elegance and "sprezzatura" (i.e. effortless elegance), the bursting individuality of the dandy in relation to the standardized narcissism of the web, matter and virtuality, the relationship with pets , of man's journey, of all the status symbols that have value for dandies, of appearing, of being and doing, of current affairs and - last but not least - of love.