The Balbo Monument consists of a column that is approximately 2,000 years old dating from between 117 and 38 BC and a contemporary stone base. It was taken from an ancient port town outside of Rome by Benito Mussolini and given to the city of Chicago in 1933 to honor the trans-Atlantic flight led by Italo Balbo to the Century of Progress Worlds Fair.
Balbo Monument
The axes have been removed from the Fasces
The Decennial Air Cruise was a mass transatlantic flight from Orbetello, Italy, to the Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. The expedition, organized by the Italian Regia Aeronautica, began on July 1, 1933, and ended on August 12 of the same year. It consisted of 25 Savoia-Marchetti S.55X seaplanes crossing the Atlantic Ocean in formation, forming the greatest mass flight in aviation history. The Italian squadrons, led by General Italo Balbo, were welcomed enthusiastically in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Canada, and particularly in the United States of America, where they became known as the Italian Air Armada. A publicity success for Fascist Italy, Balbo further viewed the expedition as a pioneering step towards commercial flights across the Atlantic.
Route of the Italian Air Armada during the Decennial Air Cruise
Monument to the "Heroes of Transatlantic Flight" Francesco De Pinedo and Carlo Del Prete to commemorate their flight across the Southern Atlantic during the "Four Continents" flight in 1927. São Paulo, Brazil
Italian building at the Century of Progress fair, Chicago
La Patrie of Montréal, featuring the Italian Air Armada on the front page (Saturday 15 July 1933)