The photographic exhibition “1937-2012. 75 years of the Italian Air Force in Viterbo” was organised as part of the celebrations for the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the airport. Colonel Antonio Coppola, Commander of the Italian Air Force Marescialli School and Viterbo Airport, and Colonel Roberto Vittori, Italian Air Force test pilot, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and native of Viterbo, cut the traditional ribbon in the presence of numerous local authorities.
The exhibition traces the most important milestones of the Italian Air Force through fascinating and unique photographs. In particular, the section dedicated to the history of Viterbo Airport brings together over 500 shots from the photographic archives of the Unit, the local Air Force Association and private individuals who, with deep pride and keen enthusiasm, wished to contribute to its setup. A further section is instead dedicated to the STS-134 space mission, which among other things brought the AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02) scientific experiment into orbit. Along the exhibition route it is also possible to admire significant memorabilia that have marked the history of the Italian Air Force and Italian space research, such as Francesco Baracca's uniform, the scale model of the San Marco satellite and the original 4th stage of the Scout carrier rocket.
Colonel Coppola, in illustrating the contents of the exhibition, thanked all those who are working hard for the success of the celebrations of the 75th Anniversary, expressing his solidarity and that of the School for Inspectors' personnel with the victims of the recent earthquake in Emilia. In this regard, he stated that a portion of the proceeds from the distribution of the book on the 75 years of the Unit will be donated to charity to the populations affected by the earthquake.
Colonel Vittori emphasised the importance of the exhibition and the other celebrations relating to the airport's anniversary, through which the Unit can effectively “
to inform, motivate and inspire” the citizenship of Viterbo on what is the reality of the Italian Air Force.
The exhibition will be open until 12th June, every day, at the following times: 10:00-12:30 and 17:00-20:00, Saturday 9th June 10:00-12:30 and 17:00-23:30, while Sunday 10th June 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-20:30. The programme of celebrations includes, on Tuesday 5th June at 17:00, at the Sala Regia of the Municipality of Viterbo, the presentation of the historical book produced on the 75th anniversary of the Department.
For further details, you can visit the website specially created for the occasion at http://www.aeroportoviterbo75.it, or contact the Organising Committee secretariat on 0761 3552666 or via email at info@aeroportoviterbo75.it.
