On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Italian Air Force on 28 March 1923, the Italian Embassy in Australia presented Friday 26 at the Italian Cultural Centre in Canberra, the docu-film “I cacciatori del cielo” (The Sky Hunters) by Mario Vitale, starring Beppe Fiorello, in collaboration with the Comites (Committee of Italians Abroad) of Canberra, the Council of Italo-Australian Organisations (Ciao) and the Dante Alighieri Society.
The film was introduced by the Defence Attaché, Colonel Marco Bertoli, who illustrated crucial moments in the glorious history of the Air Force, focusing on the figure of Francesco Baracca and those flight pioneers who distinguished themselves for their actions and courage during the First World War.
“Their passion for the skies drove them to look beyond the events of war, imagining an aviation at the service of the community and institutions,” said Colonel Bertoli. In particular,’ he recalled, ‘Francesco Baracca achieved the first Italian victory in the history of the Air Force, on 7 April 1916. The prancing horse, his aircraft’s good luck emblem, years later became the symbol of Ferrari.
Taking a cue from the themes addressed, after the film a video conversation developed between those present in Canberra and a group of students from the ‘Francesco Baracca’ Technical Aeronautical Institute in Forlì. The young people spoke in particular with Bertoli, an Air Force fighter pilot and former commander of the Rivolto Air Base, home of the Frecce Tricolori National Aerobatic Team. At the centre of the discussion was the professional future of young people in the aeronautical field.
The Cultural Attaché of the Embassy in Canberra, Valentina Biguzzi, who curated the screening, commented enthusiastically at the end of the event: “It was a significant occasion to celebrate the first 100 years of the Italian Air Force and to involve the students of the Istituto Tecnico Aeronautico of Romagna. We are proud to have offered these young dreamers of the skies an international educational experience, with which the Embassy wanted to assure its closeness and solidarity to all the communities affected by the recent floods”.
