Rome, 14 April 2026 — One hundred years since the feat that wrote an indelible page in the history of polar exploration and aviation, The Italian Air Force has celebrated the first flyover of the North Pole, accomplished in 1926 by Umberto Nobile and the crew of the airship Norge. with an international conference that brought together personalities from the military, scientific and institutional worlds at Palazzo Aeronautica.
It was 10th April 1926 when the airship N-1, with Regia Aeronautica engineer Umberto Nobile at the helm of an international crew including Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and American Lincoln Ellsworth, departed from Ciampino (Rome) airbase to reach – after a 13,000 km journey across Europe and the Arctic Ocean – the Svalbard Islands and from there carry out the first flight over the North Pole.
An undertaking of courage, ingenuity and vision that today, a century later, the Italian Air Force wanted to remember and valorise in its deepest meaning with the Conference “The Flight of the Norge 1926: Nobile at the North Pole”, structured into four thematic panels that featured contributions from Italian and international historians, academics, geopolitics experts, and researchers, interweaving the historical memory of the expedition with contemporary challenges in polar research, the protection of Arctic ecosystems, and Italy's strategic role in the polar regions.
Representing the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General Antonio Conserva, the event it was opened by the Chief of the 5th Department “Communication” of the Air Force Staff, Air Brigadier General Urbano Floreani, who in his introduction highlighted how «The expedition of the Norge delivers a timeless message to us: technology, expertise, and the ability to collaborate lead to achievements that would be unimaginable on their own. A hundred years ago, when Aviation was still in its infancy, the ingenuity of Umberto Nobile — who designed and transformed the N-1 into a cutting-edge flying laboratory — already embodied those values that have become the defining heritage of our Armed Force. The Air Force carries forward that legacy every day, with the same technical rigour and the same spirit of service. The landing strip in Antarctica is an example of this and speaks Italian: it is there, in the silent work of our technicians, mechanics, and aeronautical engineers, that the continuity between yesterday's pioneering spirit and today's operational commitment is measured.
This was followed by a welcome address from the Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rome, Erling Hoem, who stressed that «100 years on, Nansen's journey continues to speak to us not only for its historical value, but for the message it conveys: that of mutual trust, the sharing of knowledge, and cooperation between different countries, cultures, and disciplines. A message that remains profoundly relevant, especially in today's world.».
the works, moderated by the journalist Flavia Giacobbe, Directory of Formiche, opened with the first panel — “The North Pole Challenge: The History of an Endeavour” — dedicated to the historical and international dimension of the conquest of the North Pole. The British journalist and essayist took part Mark Piesing and the professor Steinar Aas, a historian from the University of Nordland in Norway, who have returned to the public the epic scope of an undertaking that, a century ago, represented the most extraordinary test of aeronautical technology and the exploratory spirit of the time. The panel was moderated by Second Lieutenant Michele Palumbo from the Italian Air Force's Flight Experimental Department.
The second panel“The Years of Italian Airships: Challenges and Prospects”, moderated by Dr. Vincenzo Grienti of the TV2000 television station, He has explored the technical and engineering context of the undertaking, with contributions from Professor Gregory Alegi of the LUISS University of Rome, of General Inspector (retired) Basilio Di Martino, a historian of the Italian Air Force, and Colonel Guido Guidi, Air Force Meteorologist Officer who illustrated the extraordinary challenges of weather forecasting in polar environments. Following this, with a presentation dedicated to the N1 aircraft, Prof. Massimiliano Pinucci He traced the technical anatomy of the airship Norway, restoring its constructive complexity and Nobile's design genius.
With the third panel “Journey through the ice: between scientific research and geographical discoveries, moderated by Dr. Giovanni Caprara of Corriere della Sera, The conference looked to the present and future of polar research. Professor Gianluca Casagrande, National Councillor of the Italian Geographical Society, Dr Francesco Petracchini, Director of Earth System Science and Technologies for the Environment of the CNR, and Professor Carlo Barbante from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice have shown how the routes opened by Norway are today travelled by scientists engaged in studying and preserving the planet's most fragile ecosystems.
The fourth and final panel “The Arctic: a geopolitical frontier - Italy's role, moderated by Dr. Massimo Mapelli of Tg La7, he addressed the strategic and institutional dimension of the Italian presence in the polar regions. Professor Vittorio Emanuele Parsi, Professor of International Relations at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Dr Pietro Batacchi, Director of the Italian Defence Magazine (RID), and Brigadier General Carlo Di Somma, Chairman of the JointArctic, Sub-Arctic and Antarctic Steering Committee, who highlighted how «The Defence, building on consolidated experience in the polar regions, contributes with specialized capabilities and assets to achieving national objectives in the Arctic and Antarctic, operating in close synergy with institutions, the scientific community, and industry. Within this framework, Defence's new Arctic posture recognises these areas as increasingly relevant for national security, guiding capability development, international cooperation, and the integration of the national system.
During the event, in the presence of the Deputy Director of RAI Educational, Dr. Marco Lanzarone, An extract from the RAI film “Il Viaggio del dirigibile Norge” by Gianni Bisiach was shown, a journalistic account of great historical value. An Italian Post Office stand was present at the event, which, as part of the company's collaboration with the Air Force on important Air Force events, created a special postal cancellation for the anniversary.
The conference “Norge’s Flight in 1926: Nobile at the North Pole” It is one of the initiatives that the Air Force, in collaboration with the National Research Council (CNR), the Italian Geographical Society, and the Prada Group, as part of the Sea Beyond project conducted in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, launched on 13 and 14 April to commemorate the celebrated NORGE expedition to the North Pole.
The two-day event began on the morning of April 13th at CNR headquarters with the scientific conference “Umberto Nobile: memories of air and fire.” During this conference, among other things, the integrated digital documentary platform dedicated to Nobile's archives was presented. These archives are housed by the Air Force and the Municipality of Lauro, and the platform brings to light previously unpublished documents and reconstructs the inseparable link between science, exploration, and dissemination. At the end of the day of study, one of the flags installed on the airship “Italia” was donated by Elena Revello to the Air Force.
In the afternoon, the photographic exhibition “Two Views on the Arctic in Comparison”, curated by photographer and climate artist, was then inaugurated at the Italian Air Force Historical Museum in Vigna di Valle. Enzo Barracco, SEA BEYOND project Goodwill Ambassador. The exhibition — open to the public until 31 May 2026 — puts into dialogue the black and white shots from the Norway expedition, kept in the AM Historical Office archives, with the photographs taken by Barracco in 2025 during an expedition to Alaska and the Arctic Circle: a visual comparison that speaks of beauty, fragility, and climate change.
In the afternoon of 14 April, also at Palazzo Aeronautica, the presentation event for the photographic book “The Fight of the Forest: Alaska” by Enzo Barracco was held. The event featured a conversation in the presence of the author, Lorenzo Bertelli, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Prada Group, and Francesca Santoro, Senior Programme Officer for the UNESCO IOC. The volume documents the transformation of territories already traversed by the “Norge”, turning the memory of Nobile's expedition into a contemporary warning about climate change. For the occasion, the historic halls of Palazzo Aeronautica were set up with a selection of shots from the exhibition in Vigna di Valle. To conclude, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squad General Antonio Conserva, delivered the institutional greetings of the Armed Force.
