Almerico da Schio was an academic, scientist, and pioneer of aviation from Vicenza.
As early as 1864, he aimed to explore "how to travel through the air like the eagle and the condor." Around 1888-89, he set out to study the problem of flight in depth, beginning to examine the attempts made until then with the lighter-than-air dirigible powered by a propulsion device. All the dirigibles that had been tested up to that point had flown in calm air or with the favor of the wind; none had succeeded in describing a closed loop and returning to the starting point.
In 1904, the aeronautical vehicle conceived by Count Almerico was built, incorporating his innovations, with funding from a company specifically established for this purpose, and obtained the envelope from the Brigade of Engineering Specialists, at their expense.
On June 17, 1905, the first flight took place: "The dirigible emerged from the shed, with the tricolor flag at the stern; in the gondola were Count da Schio, Lieutenant Ettore Cianetti sent from Rome by the Command of the Brigade of Specialists, and mechanic Bottazzi. After releasing the anchor rope and dropping some ballast from the gondola, the aeronautical vehicle slowly rose to 200 meters; meanwhile, Bottazzi had started the engine and engaged the propeller. Finally, the dirigible advanced in the air and performed wide but safe maneuvers around the aeronautical depot and towards Schio for about an hour. The descent and landing maneuver was also executed flawlessly. Enthusiastic and moved, Count Almerico da Schio descended to the ground, warmly celebrated by the small crowd present." Queen Margherita was also present at the event.
With his dirigible ‘ITALIA’, a model of technique, Count da Schio was the starter of Italian dirigibilism.
After the grand celebrations of the centenary in 2005, a park dedicated to the memory of the historic flight of the Dirigible Italia was inaugurated in October 2008, right in the agricultural area from which the aeronautical vehicle departed.
It was created as a place of rest and gathering, with a central element being a steel silhouette that recalls the shape of the “balon.”
Under this structure, steel panels, offered by the company Lafer, have been placed, displaying the original designs of the Dirigible Italia.
To evoke the idea of flight, a marble rose of winds has been created along one of the pathways.
Photo: Archive of the Municipality of Schio.
