La Regia Marina all’Esposizione Aviatoria di Amsterdam (1919)

Abstract

In the chaotic backdrop, immediately after the First World War, this essay aims to put together the participation of the Italian Royal Navy in the First Aviation Exhibition in Amsterdam. There were almost one million visitors at this show, and it was the first global event to display to the great public the future of civil aviation. This took place by means of the comparison between the industries of the winning nations of the Great War and, spreading among the Dutch people, in an exciting and dynamic moment, a comparison among the industries of the winning nations of The Great War. This also meant spreading, among the Dutch people, an aviation knowledge during a rejoicing and dynamic atmosphere. Within this global microcosm, the Italian Royal Navy delegation decided to fly some of their most recent seaplanes, produced by Italian industries, with the aim of promoting a new image of modernity and prestige of the Italian Kingdom, in a secondary international context for the standards of foreign trade. The success obtained by the mission, attained with the particular attention paid to the safety in the flight and, thanks to the first raid with a direct flight, Sesto Calende – Amsterdam, it favoured the entrance of the Italian industry on the Baltic Scandinavian market, ideal, because of its morphology and territory, for seaplanes.