section features four mosaics dedicated respectively to the ancient myths of Icarus and Phaeton , to the modern genius of Leonardo Da Vinci , to the first military use of aviation in the Italo-Turkish war in Libya in 1911-12 and to the myth of Francesco Baracca in the Great War . To the right of the entrance , the second wall of the portico is dedicated to aeronautical experiments from the 17th century onwards , from parachute prototypes to imaginary flying machines , from hot air balloons to airships , culminating in the invention of the Wright brothers in 1903 . Here we may note the first of a number of errors which , out of respect for the work of art , have remained unaltered . The first is the surname of the inventors of the motorized flying machine which , in the mosaic , appears as ‘ Wrigt ’. Constellations and zodiac signs appear as a background to the drawings and captions .
The ideological fulcrum of the route is the point of contact between the second and third sections . Here there is a declaration attributed to Mussolini dating back to 1909 : “ The four primordial elements are now in the power of man . We have gone beyond the law that forced us to crawl on the ground . The dream of Icarus , the dream of all generations is becoming reality . Man has conquered the air .” The two sections are separated by a frieze with the Latin motto of D ’ Annunzio “ Memento audere semper ” (“ Always remember to dare ”), and a phrase by D ’ Annunzio himself which summarizes the “ educational ” spirit of the mosaics : “ Limits to strength ? There are no limits to strength . Limits of courage ? There are no limits to courage . Limits of suffering ? There are no limits to suffering . I say that ‘ no more beyond ’ is the most outrageous blasphemy against God and man .”
The third wall is dedicated to the feats of Italian civil aviation in the early 20 th century : the birth of the air force in Italy , the exploits of Italian pilots ( speed , distance , length ) and their memorable feats achieved on all continents in the 1920s and 1930s . The ideology of ‘ going beyond ’ is reiterated at the end of this section . At the end of the section appears the only exception to the exclusive use of black and white : the use of green tiles used to represent three small mice , symbol of the 205th Bombing Squadron “ Sorci Verdi ” considered to be an elite unit of the Italian Air Force . Next to the drawing is the peremptory slogan : “ Living dangerously ”. Here too we may note two mistakes . The date of the birth of the air force is incorrect : not March 23 , 1923 ( as written ), but March 28 , and the in the illustration of the Atlantic crossing in formation led by Italo Balbo is announced as the “ Decennial Air Cruise 1932 ” whereas it in fact took place in 1933 .
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Observing Memories Issue 8