10/27/2013: On a visit to interview the Chief of Staff of Italian Air Force, Lt. General Pasquale Preziosa, the General provided a tour of the Air Ministry.
The building was built at the beginning of the 1930s and was a project of pride for the new Italian government of Mussolini.
In spite of any political connotation, the building is a magnificent example of 1930s architecture.
And throughout the building are interesting visual objects highlighting the history of Italy and the coming of airpower.
Early innovations such as the long distance flights to South America and to the United States in 1931 and 1933 are remembered in drawings on the walls.
There is also a wonderful wall painting of the ancient world of Rome where Italy was the center of the then known world.
Ironically, if one put Cameri in the upper left of Italy, the F-35 facility could provide support to an F-35 fleet operating over the area represented in the drawings.
We requested some photos of the wall and these can be seen in the slideshow below.
[slidepress gallery=’visiting-the-italian-air-ministry’]