The 100th anniversary celebration of the Norge airship’s Arctic flight took place on May 11 in Ny Ålesund, a town in the Svalbard Islands, approximately 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole. The airship departed from Ciampino Airport in 1926 to reach and fly over the North Pole, completing one of the most extraordinary feats in the history of polar exploration. Ny Ålesund was the last stop for the airship’s Italian-Norwegian crew – led by the famous explorer Roald Amundsen and General Umberto Nobile – before arriving at the North Pole on May 12, 1926.
The commemorative event, which opened with remarks by Himanshu Gulati, Vice-President of the Norwegian Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, was attended by Italian and Norwegian delegations.
The Ambassador of Italy to Norway, Stefano Nicoletti, was also present. While commenting on the important commemorative occasion, he emphasized that “the 1926 flight of the Norge airship held profound symbolic significance, as it marked the emergence of Norway and Italy as modern, scientifically engaged nations. A symbol of successful technological and scientific collaboration, the Norge’s voyage highlighted how exploration was becoming a global endeavour rather than mere national competition, and demonstrated the aviation’s potential to conquer extreme distances and environments.”
Ambassador Nicoletti added that “for Italy in particular, the mission of the Norge airship – built in Italy- is one of the milestones of its commitment to the Arctic regions, which culminated thirty years ago in the founding of the permanent research station Dirigibile Italia, located right in Ny-Ålesund.
The station was inaugurated in 1997 by the National Research Council (CNR) and has since served as Italy’s outpost for Arctic research. The base hosts Italian and international researchers and fosters global scientific cooperation. Italy’s commitment to the Arctic is also renewed through the new Arctic Strategy, which reflects the growing importance of this region. Furthermore, in March, Italy hosted the Arctic Circle Rome Forum – Polar Dialogue to provide the international community with the opportunity to discuss all issues relating to the Arctic regions, ranging from science to security, from research to climate and environmental challenges.”
The celebrations saw the participation, among others, of the President of the CNR, Andrea Lenzi; the member of the Chamber of Deputies’ Committee on Foreign and European Affairs and Vice President of the Italian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Andrea Orsini; the Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Arctic, Agostino Pinna; the Special Envoy of the Italian Government for Climate Change, Francesco Corvaro; the Director of the CNR Institute of Polar Sciences, Giuliana Panieri; the Director of the Norwegian Institute of Polar Sciences, Camilla Brekke; and the Norwegian historian, Anders Bache.
