Part Proust, Part Vogue's 73 Questions, and Part Colbert Questionnaire, Andrea Casalegno, Founder of I Am Casa, answers The Daily Grail Questionnaire.
What’s your favorite time of day?
It really depends on my mood and how the day has gone. If it is a long one and I’m home late, it’s when everyone else sleeps and I no longer have noise in my head, if it is a slower one is when I am in the sauna, if it is an average one it usually is right before dinner because, come on, there is going to be food very soon!
Last meal: where, what, and with who?
I start fasting two days before we hit Da Vittorio in Brusaporto with a tasting menu and cotoletta and paccheri and a whole bottle of Sauternes. If they are alive, I’d say with my whole family and my closest friends, the
people that make your life better...then I can die with a big smile.
What is your greatest extravagance?
It’s tough… but I’d say watches, unfortunately, because I buy so many yet so few with a proper sense and value. But all that makes me happy so: why not?!
Song on repeat?
It usually is in Spanish, right now it’s “PUNTO G” by Quevedo, most of the time is by Rosalìa though, the biggest and almost only singer for which I’m fan-boying so much.
What is your most treasured possession?
I have so many, I am very possessive and I find emotional value in many things I own. If I had to choose, speaking more about the meaning and importance some things have to me I would say my Porsche Carrera 991 which was handed to me by my uncle who passed away, and some pieces of jewelry and clothing (a beautiful double-breasted, some lucky charms and my family’s emblem that my grandad wore).
Best accessory?
Of course, the watch, who says it differently?! I’m no longer the Baroque guy who wears tons of accessories to express himself, nowadays I prefer details, like having your initials on the pen you carry on, having a small plate of silver with initials on in all my jackets and so on… Devil’s in the details, and Italians are very sinful in that sense.
What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
That I hate parties that aren’t thrown by me. It’s either being the focal point of attention or just not attending sometimes. But maybe you’ve all figured this out…
Best action movie?
Talking action in a standard and compliant way I must say, John Wick, if we look a bit wider for sure Kill Bill, Il Padrino, Goodfellas, and Borsalino are films I can watch basically every night.
Dream watch?
I often say I really would need a Cartier Crash custom order with “Milano” on it, but I guess a simple 2499 from Patek Philippe would already set me where I’d love to be.
What is your motto?
Most of the time its “who cares”. We do overthink so much in this century, from caring about whatever someone else thinks about us, to what are we going to do next, that sometimes we forget we are here now and not necessarily later. I know that everything well done could be done better, and that has been my motto for a long time, but sometimes the only meaning and pleasure are joy and the life we are living in the moment, so, who cares about all the rest? Still not sure about that though, but aren’t mottos made for us to do our best to follow them?!
Style icon?
My uncle, the old people I find in Italy having coffee with their wives on Sunday, Ralph Lauren and all the people my age that can choose with their taste and set trends. One icon is never enough to me, style is mixing and matching, it’s the beauty of it, the sparkle of personality!
What do you want to be remembered for?
Being vane I’d say my character, its charm and style, and mostly my words, but I only remember Oscar Wilde for this, and at least we do have The Portrait of Dorian Gray which is better than anything I’ve ever written. So I’d say for my actions and for the good impact of my life, which hasn’t been that much for now but will be higher in the future. Who knows, maybe a foundation will be fun…
