Bontoni shoes have been part of a tradition in Le Marche region of central Italy for over 70 years. Our story begins in the 1940s with Guido Gazzani a shoe apprentice at the Calzaturificio Strappa e Valentini shoe factory. At first, he made shoes for other local shoemakers. But his reputation quickly grew. By 1958, Guido was customizing shoes for members of the local gentry as well as for merchants. He became one of the most sought-after master shoemakers in the area. Guido passed his craft down through the generations of his family. His sons Bruno and Manfredo followed in his footsteps and started creating shoes of their own for a select number of clients.

As others began to embrace industrialization and mechanical production from the 1970s onwards, Bruno and Guido held out against this trend and adhered to personalized craftsmanship by hand. In 2004, the next generation of the family took over. Distant cousins Franco Gazzani and Lewis Cutillo launched the “Bontoni” brand name and the family’s first collection of ready-made shoes. The first Bontoni ready-made shoes were sold exclusively at the venerable menswear retailer Louis Boston in the original building of Boston’s Museum of Natural History.

Today, Bontoni is widely acknowledged to be one of the world’s most respected shoemakers. Our shoes are sold internationally in fine boutiques including Bergdorf Goodman, Wilkes Bashford, Harrods, Beymen, and Harry Rosen. Even to this day, Guido’s quest for excellence remains the hallmark of the Bontoni brand.