A journey through one hundred years of Venetian aviation, spanning pioneers, entrepreneurs, aircraft, international routes, innovation and transformations of the city. A Century of Aviation. Nicelli Airport 1926–2026, curated by Vittorio Baroni, traces the history of the historic Lido airport through a cinematic-style exhibition, conceived as a sequence of images and stories accompanying Venice from the origins of civil aviation to the challenges of the future.
The exhibition follows the key stages in Nicelli’s history: from the vision of Renato Morandi and Hugo Junkers, two pioneers united by a common European vision of flight, to Giovanni Nicelli and Annita “Yvonne” Girardello, protagonists of two different eras of Italian aviation; from the entrepreneurial vision of Giorgio Cini and Umberto Klinger to the creation of the first air links connecting Venice with Italy, the Adriatic and Central Europe.
The journey then moves through the 1930s, when Nicelli became one of the symbols of Italian modernity, the dramatic years of the Second World War and the subsequent revival of civil aviation, closely linked to the international resurgence of Venice, tourism, the Biennale and the Venice International Film Festival. With the opening of Marco Polo Airport in 1961, the role of the Lido airport gradually changed, transforming it into a hub for general and sport aviation and pilot training, while preserving its historic and cultural identity.
The final section looks to the present and the future: restoration and enhancement projects, the preservation of the airport’s architectural identity and new development prospects reveal an airport that continues to evolve without losing its connection to its history.
Photographs, posters, documents and images from a variety of archives tell not only the story of an airport, but also a century of transformation in Venice and its relationship with the world. Among the most iconic images is one of Claudia Cardinale aboard a Fiat G.4, an emblem of the connection between Nicelli, cinema and the Dolce Vita.
The exhibition is open to the public free of charge from August 15 until the end of September, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Featured image: Claudia Cardinale al Nicelli, aereo Fiat G.4 © Archivio Vittorio Pavan – Mostra 100° NICELLI
