“Imagine,” Gabriele d’Annunzio might have exclaimed standing here at Aeroporto di Venaria Reale. This is a place boasting aeronautical traditions that mirror Italy’s entire history of flight. Aeroporto di Venaria Reale stands as Italy’s oldest military airport founded in 1909.
Here in Venaria Reale, on these very grounds, Aristide Faccioli designed aircraft. According to some sources the Faccioli n. 1, the first fully Italian designed and constructed aircraft, took flight here in 1909. His son, Mario, piloted it. Other sources say the first takeoff of the aircraft, built by the Turin engineer, happened at the nearby Aeroporto di Torino-Mirafiori. The field at Venaria Reale shared pioneering aviation activities with it.
The Facciolis later moved to Cameri. There they continued their experiments. Tragedy struck when Mario died in a plane crash in 1915. His father, Aristide, committed suicide four years later.
During World War I, the Royal Army used Aeroporto di Venaria Reale as a pilot school. Alongside Mirafiori Airport, it trained 350 military pilots by 1918. Among them were some of the most celebrated aces of the conflict. In April 1918, a Defense Section equipped with Savoia-Pomilio SP.2 aircraft was established here.
From the end of 1920, the 39th Squadron was based here until the summer of 1921. In 1923, the 13th Fighter Group of the Regia Aeronautica was reborn here. On June 10, 1940, Aeroporto di Venaria Reale hosted the 31st Reconnaissance Squadron. Also stationed here was the 39th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 40th Reconnaissance Squadron. All three squadrons used IMAM Ro.37 aircraft. They were part of the Auxiliary Aviation for the Army. In June 1942, the 123rd Squadron of the 73rd Air Observation Group operated here. They flew Caproni Ca.313s. In early September 1943, the 71st Flight Group of the 20th Air Observation Wing was stationed here.
The airport has two grass runways. The main runway is 600 meters long and 30 meters wide. Its orientation is RWY 15-33. The secondary runway is 400 meters long.
In 2009, Turin hosted the World Air Games. It is the Olympics of the air organized by the International Aeronautical Federation.
Today, Aeroporto di Venaria Reale is home to the 34th Permanent Detachment “TORO”. This unit operates Agusta Bell 205 medium helicopters from this base.
Imagine, as d’Annunzio did, the spectacle of early flight against the backdrop of the Reggia. Picture the red and white mass of the Savoy castle. See the forests of the Mandria evaporating in the ashen air. Consider the plum-colored Prealps crouching in the haze. This Aeroporto di Venaria Reale is more than just a military airfield. It is a testament to Italian aviation history. It is a place where dreams took flight.