Bracciano Aeronautical Museum - Vigni di Valle

From early aviation history in Italy there has been a seaplane base on Lake Bracciano where several quite famous seaplanes and their pilots prepared for air races, such as the Schneider Cup. Indeed the last Italian entrant is now a part of the exhibition.

It is a government sponsored, free and very well appointed museum on the southern edge of the Lake, and is still actually a military base though no current aircraft are based there. There are a few outside displays but generally all the exhibits are in two of the original large hangars which have been modified to show the displays to the best advantage. Obviously most are of Italian manufacture but there are a small number of iconic aircraft, such as Spitfire and C47, some of which served in the Italian Air Force.

Although we both have an interest in aviation by no means are we enthusiasts so the names mean very little to us and we have not labelled any of the pictures. Here therefore are a selection of some of the exhibits. If you require any further information there is an excellent website.

The museum is about 20 mins drive from the north Rome ring road and is well signposted as you approach Vigni di Valle. There is the usual souvenir shop and a small cafe. It is worth a couple of hours if you are passing and for the enthusiasts it would be easy to take a whole day.