In September the Cavallerizza will host the exhibition for the centenary of the Italian Air Force with many events and occasions to learn more about the history of aviation in Lucca.
100 YEARS OF ITALIAN AIR FORCE
The history, abilities and traditions of the Italian Air Force in its first 100 years will form the guiding thread of the iconographic itinerary of the exhibition, 34 panels telling the story of the Arma Azzurra founded way back on March 28, 1923, that will be hosted throughout the Italian peninsula from March 25 to December, starting from the Altare della Patria it will continue in various locations, hosting dedicated contents to each area.
In Lucca, the traveling exhibition, the main part of the event, will be enriched by additional 12 panels and virtual contents, which will make it a more immersive experience and will delve into the history of local aviation, the characters and places in the Lucca area and province: from Carlo Del Prete and many local pilots to the aerofuturist painter Uberto Bonetti, from Tassignano airport to the Torre del Lago seaplane base, to name just a few examples.
Among other memorabilia, the flight suit that belonged to Carlo Del Prete and the large wing of an airplane.
It consists of a brown aviator suit with long sleeves and trousers, made of wool, cotton and fur and a pair of overtrousers that belonged to the aviator, in cotton and wool, in dark beige carefully restored which, together with other objects that will be part of the September exhibition will then be permanently exhibited in a space inside Palazzo Ducale. A room that will be dedicated to the extraordinary local aviators who have been able to honor the name of Lucca in the skies of Italy and the world.
The collection of the memorabilia was started by the combatant and weapon associations immediately after the end of the World War I. In 1925 the War Museum was inaugurated in Lucca. In the 1950s the Museum was closed for a certain period and at the end of the 1980s it was reopened in some rooms on the ground floor of Palazzo Ducale with the new name of Museum of the Risorgimento of Lucca. In 2011 the collection of assets of the Museum of the Risorgimento was transferred to the Province of Lucca by the A.N.C.R. (National Association of Fighters and Veterans) which played an important role in the recovery and conservation phases of the Risorgimento and post-Risorgimento relics. In March 2013, after the restorations carried out by the Province of Lucca, the Museum of the Risorgimento was inaugurated with a new layout and with entirely renewed premises.
Among the memorabilia, also the Gabardini, one of the oldest aircrafts preserved in Italy, made available for the occasion by the Federighi Historical Archive.
It is a pioneering aircraft produced by one of the first Italian aeronautical companies, a land monoplane that has achieved several records, including the flight over the Alps on 27 July 1914. It was conceived in 1912 by Giuseppe Gabardini, who built it in Taliedo.
The most original features for the time were the fuselage structure in metal tubes and the wing spars mixed in metal and wood. Lateral control was by wing twisting. He participated in the first Military Competition, but without success. From 1914 the manufacturer founded one of the first flight schools and the Gabardini aircraft operated in Cameri, where his flight school initially patented sportmen (those who were about to fly for passion were called like this by the press) and then in the World War I 1,141 pilots, including the famous Arturo Ferrarin and Guido Keller.
the Air Force in the medals of Luciano Zanelli
Exhibition of the Ancient Mint Foundation of Lucca
September 1st / October 8th
underground of San Donato barracks, piazzale Verdi
15 vintage Ferraris
tribute to the Prancing Horse and to Francesco Baracca.
Sunday 3rd September
10:30 / 17:00 - piazzale della Cavallerizza
Aeropainting
Exhibition of paintings by Uberto Bonetti, futurist painter.
9 / 17 September
4.00 pm