Italian Air Force Museum

The Museo Storico dell'Aeronautica Militare on the south shore of Lake Bracciano shows around 80 original aircraft across four hangars and ranks among the largest aviation museums in Europe. The site is the former Idroscalo Luigi Bourlot, opened in 1908 as Italy's first seaplane base, from which Italo Balbo's famous Crociera Aerea del Decennale departed for Chicago in 1933. Highlights include the Macchi MC.72, which set the seaplane speed record of 709 km/h in 1934 that still stands today, plus Caproni bombers, Regia Aeronautica Fiat fighters, an F-104 Starfighter and several helicopters. Opened as a museum in 1977 and declared an Italian national monument in 1995. The lakeside hangars pair well with a day in Bracciano.