A life as a manager of multinational market research companies, and at the same time a great passion cultivated with the rigor of the historian and documented by numerous publications. In the occasion of 2024 Meeting Antonio Besana is taking care of  the exhibition "1914: something new on the western front", which tells a unique event: the spontaneous truce of Christmas night between German and British soldiers in Ypres, Belgium.

«In the midst of the hell of war there are sometimes events that seem to deny its essence, redeeming its wickedness», says Antonio. «This happens when the minds of men, perhaps for a few moments, are ready to listen to what the heart suggests, trusting in the glimmer of good that has glimpsed, that for a moment has allowed to change the cards on the table».

This is what happens on Christmas Eve 1914: a truce. It is not ordered by an agreement between the commands of the two sides: it is a spontaneous truce declared by the soldiers, French, British and German. On Christmas night someone in the trenches starts singing traditional Christmas carols. Soldiers come out and meet in no man’s land. They talk, shake hands, embrace, celebrate a mass, exchange gifts. Food, tobacco, clothing. «A unique event of these proportions has never been repeated», comments Bailey. «For this it is worth telling, 110 years later».

But this is the secret of the Meeting exhibitions. «Sometimes the media use trivial news (for example, the sentimental stories of well-known characters), or use the news for political purposes», observes the curator. «The exhibitions of the Meeting, on the other hand, tell of exceptional events, often ignored by the media, that have changed people and the history of the world and that become relevant for those who come to know them».

That is why it is important to support the Meeting! It is a unique event that helps people rediscover beauty and is supported through volunteers who work there for free and the companies that sponsor it. For me, attending the Meeting is a unique experience, which encourages me to support it so that this experience is possible every year».