Behind this project there was Alberto Mario Droandi, the chairman of the tourist board, who also sketched all the medieval costumes of the Group taking inspiration from the paintings of Piero della Francesca and using for each costume the colors and the heraldry of the Aretine municipalities .
Since then, under the technical direction of Vittorio Dini(from 1960 to 1972), the Flag-wavers Association has been trying to recover a tradition connected with war where flags were used for military purposes, as armies needed a way to both arrange their troops while fighting and to announce the victory of a faction over another.
Beyond the standard choreographic exercises, further aspects of flag-waving were introduced (athletics, acrobatics and music above all) first by Vittorio Dini and after, since 2010, by Pasquale Livi. So, unlike many other imitations, the group mirrors the authentic history and tradition of Arezzo, and that’s definitely one of its strong points.
Another source of pride of the Association is its vast repertoire of exercises, widened and improved over time to reach a rare level of accuracy.
In the early ‘60s the so-called “Schermaglia” (Skirmish) was thus conceived, to symbolize the eternal struggle between good and evil, and it is still in the repertoire of the group. Even if during the ‘60s and ‘70s the Group took part in the international flags competition and in the Italian Flags Association, the difference of equipment (heavier flags than all the other Flag-wavers groups) and a difference study on the costumes style, brought the Arezzo’s Group to leave the federation in order to focus on its history and identity.
During the ‘80s and ‘90s(under the technical direction of Pasquale Livi) the Association travelled all over the world to take part in many prestigious events in every continent even for extended periods, like the 45 days in Japan.
Since 2010 the technical direction of the group has been given to Stefano Giorgini who has changed a lot all the different aspects of the exhibitions(from coreographical to athletic and musical aspect). This improvement is due to the technical director and his assistants and also to all the members of the group who, thanks to training twice a week, continue this precious tradition.
Finally, in 2010 the Association had its fiftieth anniversary and, in order to thank all those who had a share in its success, 50 flags were thrown in the air during the Saracen Joust by most of the flag-wavers who have made and will continue to make the history of the group .