An event was held on Tuesday 6 December in Rome, in the evocative setting of the Auditorium Parco della Musica, to present the complete program of activities and initiatives that throughout 2023 will mark the celebrations of the Centenary of the Air Force, which will officially on March 28. This was followed, in the Sinopoli hall, by the "Homage to music" concert by the Air Force Band directed by Maestro Pantaleo Leonfranco Cammarano, in the presence of numerous religious, civil and military authorities, including the Chief of Staff of the Defense, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
It was the Chief of Staff of the Air Force himself, general of the air team Luca Goretti, who chronologically scrolled through the stages of this rich journey of events and initiatives, “a great occasion - said the general - to tell our story, make known our ideals and our precious skills at the service of the community and the institutions".
The evening event was the occasion to officially launch the charity project "A gift from heaven for AIRC", a very important opportunity to "make research fly" and testify, once again, with concrete and tangible actions , how close the Armed Forces are to the community.
All the initiatives, events and main demonstrations of the Armed Forces, as well as part of the proceeds from the sales of the 2023 Calendar and the voluntary donations of staff and private individuals, will support the solidarity initiative "A gift from heaven for AIRC", a foundation committed to supporting cancer research in Italy for over 50 years. The funds raised will be used to purchase highly technological and latest generation equipment for IFOM, the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology.
"We want to thank the Air Force for having chosen to link the celebrations of their Centenary to support for cancer research - explained Niccolò Contucci, chief fundraising officer of the AIRC Foundation – We are certain that by joining forces we will be able to give an important acceleration to numerous research projects and we will be able to contribute to making cancer increasingly curable”.
Aerial demonstrations, traveling exhibitions, editorial projects, sporting events and international conferences: gen. Goretti, moving in chronological order, presented the articulated program of multidisciplinary initiatives that will take place in 2023 to institutions, partners, sponsors and the media.
The most significant and iconic moment will obviously be the anniversary of March 28, the date of establishment of the Air Force, which will be celebrated in the splendid setting of the center of Rome with two main events: a military ceremony on the Pincio terrace and an aerial overflight over the city From Rome.
In Piazza del Popolo, from 24 to 29 March 2023, the "Air Force Experience" aeronautical village will be created, which will allow citizens of all ages to learn more about the Air Force. Aircrafts on static display, experiential itineraries, information and entertainment meetings, promotional stands, playful simulators, projections, musical and sporting performances to experience the 100th birthday of the Arma Azzurra together.
“We have the desire to share this path made of collective memory but always looking to the future as it is in our DNA, with public opinion, with the Defense, with Industry and with all the most important sectors of civil society – concluded General Goretti – starting from the very important one of scientific research, and academics in general, of culture, of the aerospace industry, of information“.
AM 2023 Calendar
An approach to the Centenary that has actually already started with the presentation of the AM 2023 Calendar, conceived in collaboration with two Italian excellences, Italdesign and Giunti Editore, which retraces, through twelve beautiful tables, the 10 decades of the Air Force, embracing the past , present and future. The 2023 Calendar is available in over 250 GIUNTI AL PUNTO stores and on the official Amazon store of the Italian Air Force http://www.amazon.it/aeronauticamilitare.
Show Paper Wings
Another cultural initiative that has in fact already opened the long path towards the Centenary of the Aeronautics is the "Wings of Paper" exhibition, hosted until mid-February 2023 in the Historical Halls of Palazzo Aeronautica (open with free admission to the general public weekends and holidays), which retraces through the most important Italian and international cinema billboards and posters from the 900s to today the epic of two of the most incredible inventions of the last century, cinema and flight.
Historical Symposium – 15 February
A narrative path with a historical matrix which, on February 15 at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, will retrace the fundamental stages of flight and the Air Force, recalling the knowledge of the main characters who gave prestige and impetus to the 100 years of the Armed Forces.
Traveling exhibition – 25 March -24 December
The history, capabilities and traditions of the Air Force in its first 100 years will form the leitmotif of the exhibitions that will take place throughout the peninsula, through a dedicated iconographic itinerary. It will start from the exhibition in Rome, at the Altare della Patria, from 25 March to 23 April 2023, and will continue in various locations, with the aim of bringing the Air Force, its history and its values closer to the territory and the citizen . The appointments of the traveling exhibition are entirely available on the AM website.
Inauguration of the AM Historical Museum – 18 April
After a restyling and complete overhaul of the entire display system, the Historical Museum of the Air Force will reopen to the public, located on the southern shore of Lake Bracciano, in Vigna di Valle, where the oldest seaplane base in Italy once stood . The new staging project, impressive and innovative, intends to bring elements of renewal with respect to the past, albeit with respect for tradition. The goal is to obtain a modern, attractive museum structure, capable of increasing the number of annual visitors, through greater usability of the exhibition contents that enhance the role of the Museum as a container of collective memory and national aeronautical tradition at the service of the citizen .
DSSE inauguration – 27 April
La Higher Division of Studies and Experiences it was one of the very first and most advanced scientific research and development centers for experiments on new aircraft, armaments, equipment and everything related to flight. Thanks to the recovery and revaluation of the entire infrastructural complex, a historical-museum itinerary has been created, highlighting the role of Guidonia Airport in the early days of the Regia Aeronautica.
AeroSpace Power Conference – May 12-13
A look at the future of Aerospace, an analysis of its possible evolutions and its role in the geopolitics of the years to come. This is the objective of the "Italian AeroSpace Power Conference 2023", an event of international importance which will be held in the suggestive location of the Nuvola di Fuksas in Rome. Academics, researchers, civil and military experts will take turns to elaborate new ideas and exchange interdisciplinary views, presenting technology, innovation and sustainability associated with the aerospace sector.
National Acrobatic Patrol
As part of the 2023 acrobatic season, from May to November, the Air Force has foreseen the presence of the Frecce Tricolori at at least one event/air show for each Italian region, through a complete exhibition and overflights over each regional capital.
Technical Symposium – 9-10 November
At the Pozzuoli Air Force Academy an event oriented towards the future of the aerospace domain to support the role, positioning and visibility of the Air Force as a responsible and prepositional actor for the country's technological innovation, with important enabling effects at a civil and commercial level .
Initiatives and products
The centenary of the Air Force will be enriched by a multitude of initiatives and editorial products. Just to name a few, two volumes dedicated to the Air Force of yesterday and today will be available, created in collaboration with Giunti Editore, a special album of Panini stickers, a compelling series of aeronautical comics, a commemorative coin and many others.
Film productions
Rai Cultura is preparing to celebrate the next 28 March 2023 with a Special, the day on which the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Air Force as an autonomous Armed Force will occur. For the occasion, Rai Cultura will create a historical story, which from the exploits of the pioneers will reach the present day, enriched by precious and unpublished archive images. The Special will be premiered on Rai Storia on the occasion of the anniversary, on 28 March 2023.
Furthermore, numerous film productions will accompany this important anniversary. For example, filming has already begun on the fiction "I Cacciatori del Cielo", a docu-film on the history of the aviation ace Francesco Baracca played by Giuseppe Fiorello, produced by Anele in collaboration with Aeronautica Militare and Rai Documentari, in co-production with Istituto Luce Cinecittà, and with the support of Intesa Sanpaolo.
Among the other productions dedicated to the celebrations of the AM Centenary, there are also two documentaries dedicated, respectively, to the International Flight Training School and the Frecce Tricolori.
