From July 25 to 28, the exhibition “L’idroscalo di Porto Conte” was held in Alghero at the “Sari” hall. The event commemorated the first airport in northwest Sardinia for both civilian and military use. The base was inaugurated in 1937 and served as a stopover on the Genoa-Cagliari-Tunis flight route operated by the Ala Littoria airline.
The exhibition was organized by the Alghero Philatelic, Numismatic, Modeling, and Collecting Club and the Sardinia Foundation, in collaboration with writer and historian Massimiliano Fois. It featured displays of postal and thematic items related to the seaplane base (including two letters from the Genoa-Cagliari-Tunis route) and airmail from that period. To provide a tangible dimension to this historical research, original documents and several enlarged reproductions of photographs from the era were also exhibited. Most of the material on display, including the philatelic items, was featured in the book “The Seaplane Base of Porto Conte,” written by Fois and presented during the event.
The inaugural ceremony on July 25 was attended by Mayor Raimondo Cacciotto and several councilors, during which a painting depicting a plane arriving at the seaplane base was presented to the mayor. This painting will be displayed in the municipal council chamber.
On July 26, a special commemorative postmark was used, granted by Poste Italiane, with two postcards depicting seaplanes landing and taking off from the base. The photos on the postcards were skillfully recolored to give a realistic effect. The event was highly successful.
On the same day, the book was presented. The event was attended by the cultural councilor Raffaella Sanna, Valeria Tului (the daughter of the base’s commander), and numerous relatives of people who worked at the seaplane base between 1937 and 1945.
The book presentation was the most successful event, with the hall’s 70 seats completely filled and many people standing. In addition to the author’s narrative, the daughter of the commander and several relatives of the aviators also spoke, adding significant cultural value to the event.
Over the four days, the exhibition recorded approximately 300 visitors, attracting the attention of many people, especially those interested in the history of aviation.
Here below follows a series of images related to the event:
