Numerous books were presented, organised by the Italian Air Force Historical Office and *Rivista Aeronautica*. Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th were particularly packed with events for the Italian Air Force. On Saturday, the public was able to attend the presentation of the book *Communication in Wartime and the Post-War Period. From D’Annunzio to Psyops in Iraq and Afghanistan“. Speakers included General Massimo Fogari, Head of the Public Information Office of the Defence General Staff; Lieutenant Colonel Alessandro Cornacchini, Editor-in-Chief of *Rivista Aeronautica*; and Dr Alberto Chiara, a journalist with *Famiglia Cristiana*. The book, divided into two parts, explores the significance of communication from two specific perspectives: the first centres on the dropping of leaflets ordered by Gabriele D’Annunzio during his famous flight over Vienna. The second part of the work, on the other hand, is devoted to Psyops operations in today’s theatres of operations which, although a far cry from D’Annunzio’s gesture, highlight the strategic importance of communication in the military sphere. On Sunday, however, considerable attention was given to the publications produced by the ”in azzurro“ personnel. In the morning, presentations were held of: • ”Avidi di Orizzonti. The flights of Italo Balbo and the Centuria Alata on the 80th Anniversary of the Decennial Air Cruise“, edited by the 5th Department of the Air Force General Staff – Rivista Aeronautica. Speakers included Brigadier General Basilio Di Martino and Professor Lucia Collarile. Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Cosci acted as moderator. The book commemorates the last mass air cruise conceived and led by Italo Balbo, retracing the key stages of this epoch-making undertaking. • ’Mission Libya – The Contribution of the Italian Air Force”, edited by the 5th Department of the Air Force General Staff – Rivista Aeronautica. Speakers included Brigadier General Basilio Di Martino and Captain Emanuele Salvati. Moderator: Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Cosci. With this volume, *Rivista Aeronautica* aimed to “chronicle” the dedicated efforts of the Italian Air Force personnel during the seven months between the start of Operation “Odyssey Dawn”and the conclusion of“Unified Protector”. For the contribution made during the Libyan crisis, the Armed Forces“ War Flag was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Military Order of Italy. Later that afternoon, two volumes published by the Historical Office of the Air Force General Staff were presented: • ”Chi vola vale – The image of the Regia Aeronautica in General Cagna’s archive“ by Fabio Caffarena and Carlo Stiaccini; • ”Private Affairs and Aviation Matters in the Papers of Mario Ajmone-Cat – An Inventory from the Personal Archive“, edited by Silvia Trani. The books were presented by speakers of great renown in the worlds of history and archives; among them were Professor Giorgio Rochat, former professor of contemporary history at the University of Turin, one of the leading experts and a key figure for military historians, Professor Antonio Gibelli, former professor of contemporary history at the University of Genoa and founder of the Ligurian Archive of Popular History; Dr Francesca Imperiale, of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Archival Superintendent for Liguria and Director of the State Archives of Genoa, and Dr Marco Carassi, President of the National Association of Italian Archivists and former Director of the State Archives of Turin. The work presented is the result of a fruitful collaboration between historians and archivists – a collaboration that is always desirable but rarely realised to the extent seen on this occasion. To this must be added the relationship of trust and cooperation between institutions (the Italian Air Force, the University of Genoa and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage) and private individuals, which saw the documentary and photographic collections, as well as the memorabilia of Generals Mario Ajmone Cat and Stefano Cagna – donated by their respective families – reach the Historical Office as their final place of preservation. This led to the rediscovery and study of a wealth of material, which enabled the compilation of the two texts presented. The work carried out aroused genuine enthusiasm amongst those present, summed up in the words of Professor Rochat himself, who congratulated the Italian Air Force and its Historical Office “for the new business momentum”Throughout the entire exhibition, the exhibition stand was constantly the subject of continuous visits and requests from personalities and well-known faces from the entertainment world as well as aviation enthusiasts.
