Valley vineyard – 3 May 2023

It was held today, Wednesday 3 May, in Vigna di Valle, on the shores of Lake Bracciano, in the presence of authorities, guests and representatives of the press, the ceremony to present the modernization and redevelopment works that involved the Historical Museum of the Air Force, a project that is part of the initiatives for the Centenary of the Air Force which is being celebrated in this 2023.

The event was chaired by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Force Luca Goretti, with the participation of the Chief Inspector General (ric) Basil DiMartino, President of the program office "Centenary Committee of the Air Force" and of numerous civil authorities, religious and military; among the illustrious guests also the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, On. George Mule.

There are many innovations that have affected the Museum, which after approx 18 months of work sees its exhibition area expanded by 30%, going beyond the 16.000 total square meters, going to consolidate its position among the most important aeronautical museums in the world. The Historical Museum of Vigna di Valle, inaugurated in 1977, it stands on the oldest aeronautical settlement in Italy; its origin, indeed, is linked to one of the fathers of Italian aviation, Major Maurizio Moris, that in the 1907 there he created the Aeronautical Experimental Shipyard and in 1910 the airship pilot school. Inside the Museum there is also the documentation center "Umberto Nobile".

A completely new visual identity, with a stylized logo that recalls in an iconic way one of the symbols of Italian aeronautical ingenuity and of the history of the Armed Forces, the Siai S.55 seaplane, and an exhibition itinerary, divided in chronological order through five pavilions. Thanks to the work of a Scientific Technical Committee and the support of both external experts for scientific curatorship, for layout and graphics, both of engineers and specialized personnel of the Armed Forces, the existing spaces were redesigned – placing memorabilia and aircraft in a more rational and functional way – and new spaces were created, with screens and multimedia areas, flight simulators, a cinema hall, relaxation areas for visitors and suggestive connecting tunnels between the hangars in the original shape of an airplane cockpit.

Not only aircraft and memorabilia but many new features that have affected the Museum facilities, undergone extensive redevelopment: new air conditioning systems, new LED lighting systems, new two-tone flooring e, as mentioned, a new exhibition itinerary. A reception center has been built, adjacent to the visitor car park, which will act as an information point before the departure of the visit and where a sales point for aeronautical items will also be built; the construction of a new double-span pavilion has also allowed the spaces to breathe. An old warehouse near the main hangars has also been completely redeveloped, which has been used as a multi-purpose area with an exhibition of engines, uniforms and memorabilia, educational areas, exhibition halls and a multimedia area with flight simulators and virtual reality.

“The occasion of the Centenary, a particularly symbolic date, was seized to revisit the Museum" underlined Gen. Isp. Chief Basilio Di Martino in his opening speech of the ceremony. “Redesigning the collections, repropose it in a key in line with the modern concepts of museum science: this is what was done also taking the opportunity for an infrastructural adaptation that would bring it in line with the most recent regulations. The goal is to have a museum system that favors interaction with the visitor.” General Di Martino then commented: “The future lies in a museum like this, the present and the past, they are intimately connected. History allows us an interpretative key that uses the interpretations that come to us from the past to interpret the present and the future. Over all this there is a dominant push which is towards technology, because the Air Force cannot fail to be technological excellence and this inevitably projects it towards the future.”

The Chief of Staff of the Air Force then took the floor, General of the Air Force Luca Goretti: “This ceremony has a very high symbolic value, but it is also substantial because today the Air Force honors its own history and the deeds of all those who made the choice to serve the country with the blue uniform, living, fighting, in some cases up to the extreme sacrifice, using some of the means and artifacts kept inside these glorious and renovated hangars.” He then went on to say: “With a choral effort by the entire Armed Forces, we have renovated the house of our history so that in the coming decades it can welcome all those who will seek further study and will be interested in discovering the values ​​and traditions of a centenary but at the same time young institution, dynamics, vital and technologically advanced”. He Gen. Goretti then concluded: “A museum is an educational place par excellence, especially for the new generations and for the kids who are forming their own conscience and intellect. Speak simple language and use a universal code that not only knows no boundaries, but often surpasses them. This represents a concept very close to the aerial vehicle.”

The museum houses precious and unique pieces, starting from Garnerin's balloon, the oldest existing aviation memorabilia in the world, skilfully and patiently restored under the supervision of the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage which also oversaw the restoration of the SIAI S.79 Sparviero.

A one of a kind collection with approx 80 aircraft on display: dal Blèriot, to the Austro-Hungarian Lohner seaplane and then move on to the hydroracers: Vigna di Valle is the aeronautical museum that can boast the largest number of hydroplanes on display, among which the Macchi MC.72 stands out, holder of the speed record for seaplanes with over 709 average km/h. It then continues with the IMAM Ro.37 and Ro.43, with the FIAT G.212, last multi-engine built by FIAT, the SIAI SM.82 and the CANT Z.506 which served in Vigna di Valle with the Air Rescue. And still the jets of the first post-war period and the current ones, with particular attention to missions beyond national borders, to the National Acrobatic Patrol, to the helicopters and paratroopers of the Italian Air Force. The Museum also welcomes new aircraft in the sector dedicated to the modern period, such as the Tornado IDS with desert livery, the Eurofighter and the HH-3F and AB-212 helicopters.

The opening to the public of the Historical Museum will take place within the first ten days of May. Details of the opening will be publicized through the Air Force website, the Centenary App and all the social profiles of the Armed Forces.

Also new for the entrance ticket: in order to improve the quality of the services provided, and taking inspiration from the many requests and suggestions that visitors have reported to us over the years, the management of the Museum will be entrusted to a specialized firm identified by Difesa Servizi SpA, the body dedicated to the management and enhancement also of the structures of the Ministry of Defence, which has already started a valorisation process to identify the economic operator to whom to entrust the museum's activities. The first MUSAM shop, opened today, it is the symbol of this synergy between the Air Force and Defense Services for the enhancement of the cultural heritage of the Armed Forces, through the creation of iconic products that tell the story of military institutions.

For the renewal and redevelopment of the Historical Museum of Vigna di Valle, the Air Force publicly thanks Avio Aero, which, as a financial sponsor, provided its contribution to the realization of the work.

Source: text and images Air Force