Our dinner is a huge affair, with hundreds of people crowding the large structure available. It is also an occasion for celebrations, particulalry in honor of the several veterans among us. Nationalities do not matter in this, nor considerations about which side individuals fought on more than sixty years ago. It is already dark when we start our final leg of the journey to Ferrara.
The night is starry, and we form our column once more, enjoying this unusual night trip in our HMVs, guided through the night by an efficient security service by the Italian Carabinieri. No sooner are our vehicles parked in Piazza Ariostea than most of us proceed to their night quarters at several hotels or at the Ferrara Youth Hostel, which we have reserved beforehand.
A few will sleep near the parked vehicles under tents set up by the local volunteer services, who also act as night guards at the area. Ferrara - Piazza Ariostea Sunday, April 27, has finally come. The last day of our wonderful trip through Italy. And, we hope, a proper finale for all who covered the long distance on the road, as well as for the many others who join us only for this last day.
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Aboard it, a crew dressed in historical Italian Police uniforms. Already the previous day, during our trip from Bologna to Ferrara, looking back at its length from the vehicles at the head of the column when we crossed the vast expanses of the Po valley at sunset was quite an impressive sight. A seemingly unending line of military vehicles, their unmistakable shapes silhouetted against the horizon in the west, reaching far into the plain to the point where even the big trucks were no more than small moving dots along a distant stretch of the road.
Today, however, the column is only one part of the show. And audience there is. All available space along the winding road which borders the drop zone, several kilometers long, is crammed with people for obvious reasons, vehicles are forbidden to park along the jump areas.
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It looks like everybody for many miles around have converged to the place- a fact later confirmed by our friends from Sermide, who stated they had never seen such an assembly of people before in their life at home. We reach the area on schedule at We have previously communicated with the C crew at the Villafranca airport to assure its timely arrival on the drop zone.
The atmosphere is charged with expectation, both among the audience and us. While we expect it, the first sound of the C engines with their slow drumming getting nearer cannot but bring shivers along our spines. Then we see it, its beautiful unmistakable shape getting closer at jump altitude, making its first pass over the drop zone to check wind and ground conditions. The first jumps will be executed by the ADT. One of them, though, did not need to travel that far.
Pierguido Lanucara is the only Italian among the ADT jumpers, having gotten his ADT brevet in Oklahoma the previous winter adding it to his two Italian parachute qualifications — both military and civilian. And now their moment has come.
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The first stick of seven jumpers leaves the airplane, small dots in the clear blue sky at first. One by one, the chutes open, no reserves are needed, thankfully. The second and third sticks follow, a long line of green canopies streaking the sky above us, and soon all of them are safely assembled at the building at the drop zone, which acts as our improvised CP during the show. Smiles beaming on their faces, they are extremely satisfied, and all of us with them. The Airborne Demonstration Team after the jumps We celebrate the event by taking out a bottle of Italian grappa, and get together for picture taking.
We find out one jumper had his M1 helmet jerked off by a riser, but he got out with only a big bruise below his left eye. And, the helmet was safely recovered on the soft ground, undamaged. Our location and the building, which appears unchanged from WWII; the parachute jumps; the American voices. It is hard at times to remember this is the year and not Italy, But that was only half of the show.
Now the Italian parachutists will also jump. It takes the airplane about one hour to get back to the Villafranca airport, load up, and return to the drop zone. Three more sticks jump out of the plane, under the leadership of Luca Migliavacca from Milan, who has also put together the required uniforms for his jumping friends.
Again, each chute opens flawlessly, affecting a perfect jump. Later, both US and Italian parachutists will tell us what from the ground seemed to the non parachutists among us quite an easy job under perfect circumstances of weather and terrain, was not such a nice walk, after all. The winds were rather strong at jumping altitude, and it takes quite a bit of expertise to properly jump out from a C to avoid hitting the fuselage or getting a wrong descent position when the canopy opens.
And, the chutes themselves were of the old military types, not so easily guided as those of today. Hats off to all of the men who, with passion and professionalism, carry their wish to honor the fighters of yesterday one step forward than most of us do.
The C, its mission accomplished, donates us a magnificent low altitude passage on the drop zone, which leaves everybody exited and constitutes the perfect crowning of our wonderful morning at the drop zone. The weather is hot, and everybody starts feeling the tiredness accumulated during the previous days. After the air show, the lunch, and official ceremonies including a presentation of honorary certificates to all who jumped in the morning, we move one last time to nearby Sermide, along the Po river, where the people are waiting for us with the usual happiness and warmth which meant so much to us during the whole event.
Such is the crowd that we can hardly reach the riverside area where a reenacting camp has been setup since Saturday, and where our amphibious vehicles will be launched into the river for a final demonstration. The first one to go is a modern vehicle by the Fire Brigade, which will act as a safety boat. Our DUCKWs then descend into the river, necessitating a careful driving since the waters are swollen by the rain of the previous week. This also prevents them to transports reenactors and visitors, as we had planned to do. So there we are, back where we started our story.
The day is advancing towards its end. The first groups of participants start preparing their vehicles for the trip back home to locations stranded all along Italy. We have shared a unique experience, which in retrospect has developed even too fast for grasping its many pleasant moments, its varied character.
Our initial euphoria in Rome, soon to be overshadowed by the long trip to Viterbo. The cheering crowd in Castiglion Fiorentino a fleeting picture replaced by the beautiful locations in historic Florence. The beautiful landscapes of the Northern Apennines, giving way to our long ride through the Po Valley and our night entry into Ferrara.
And all of this finally absorbed by our magnificent last day, marked by the spectacular jumps by the ADT and the Italian Parachutists Association, with the essential contribution of our British friends and their C plane, whose coming — according to the rumors spread by a few malignant individuals, was but a publicity stunt by our Association. Sorry, it was all for real, and the Column of Liberation will be remembered for long as an unprecedented event on the Italian HMV and reenacting scene. As always in this kind of endeavors, many people have significantly contributed to the success of the event, and we redirect to all of them the many sincere words of congratulations and appreciation, which we have received from so many quarters.
If anything, the Column of Liberation has confirmed the old saying that unity is strength. It is now up to all Italian HMV clubs and individual collectors to make sure this will not be an isolated occurrence. To understand this success points in the right direction to develop the hobby in our country, by putting aside the parochialism and — in a few cases — the personal idiosyncrasies which have only hampered the growth of a mature and constructive HMV scene in Italy, to the benefit and for the enjoyment of all concerned.
Meanwhile, we still have to get home from Sermide. And our long trip to Tuscany under the fading sun in the west of the Po valley and through the darkness of the Apennines night will be a notable HMV experience in itself, full of beautiful moments and sensations. So, time to go. The gear is in neutral, the ignition turned on. With clutch depressed, a light step on the starting switch is all that is needed to start our trusted Willys on the first try. Its engine seems to be purring even more happily than usual, maybe she feels we are going back at last.
Departure from Viterbo towards Orvieto 9: Transit through Orvieto, proceeds towards Todi PG Arrival in Perugia and stop. Transit through Magione towards Lake Trasimeno Arrival at Lake Trasimeno and stop for lunch. Departure towards Castiglion del Lago 3: Arrival in Castiglion Fiorentino 3: Vehicles exhibition with detachment from the Italian Red Cross 6: Vehicles exhibition with detachment from the Italian Red Cross in Lucca The Column will stop from April 21 to April 24, allowing for the arrival and deployment of parachute reenactors.
Departure towards Arezzo 9: Arrival in Arezzo and stop. Departure towards Montevarchi Transit through Montevarchi Arrival in Pontassieve and stop for lunch 2: Departure towards Florence 2: Transit through Rovezzano 3: Vehicles exhibition with detachment from the Italian Red Cross. Departure towards Scarepria Highway 65 7: Arrival in Scarperia and stop for dinner and sleeping accommodations.
Departure from Lucca towards Pescia Transit through Montecatini Terme Arrival in Pistoia and stop. Arrival in Prato and stop for lunch 1: Lungolago delle Muse 23 Vigna Di Valle. Seafood , Italian , Pizza , Deli. Corso della Repubblica 8. Bar Centrale - Illy Caffe. Corso della Repubblica Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 8 a. La Cantina del Sorcetto. Piazza Tommaso Tittoni n. Via Lungolago delle Muse Trattoria La Fraschetta dar Ciccio. Via Augusto Silvestrelli Caucasian, Italian , Mediterranean , Barbecue.
Via Poggio della Torre 1. Via Poggio della Tarantola 1. Italian , Pizza , Mediterranean. While we expect it, the first sound of the C engines with their slow drumming getting nearer cannot but bring shivers along our spines. Then we see it, its beautiful unmistakable shape getting closer at jump altitude, making its first pass over the drop zone to check wind and ground conditions.
The first jumps will be executed by the ADT. One of them, though, did not need to travel that far. Pierguido Lanucara is the only Italian among the ADT jumpers, having gotten his ADT brevet in Oklahoma the previous winter adding it to his two Italian parachute qualifications — both military and civilian. And now their moment has come. The first stick of seven jumpers leaves the airplane, small dots in the clear blue sky at first. One by one, the chutes open, no reserves are needed, thankfully. The second and third sticks follow, a long line of green canopies streaking the sky above us, and soon all of them are safely assembled at the building at the drop zone, which acts as our improvised CP during the show.
Smiles beaming on their faces, they are extremely satisfied, and all of us with them. The Airborne Demonstration Team after the jumps We celebrate the event by taking out a bottle of Italian grappa, and get together for picture taking. We find out one jumper had his M1 helmet jerked off by a riser, but he got out with only a big bruise below his left eye. And, the helmet was safely recovered on the soft ground, undamaged.
Our location and the building, which appears unchanged from WWII; the parachute jumps; the American voices. It is hard at times to remember this is the year and not Italy, But that was only half of the show. Now the Italian parachutists will also jump. It takes the airplane about one hour to get back to the Villafranca airport, load up, and return to the drop zone. Three more sticks jump out of the plane, under the leadership of Luca Migliavacca from Milan, who has also put together the required uniforms for his jumping friends.
Again, each chute opens flawlessly, affecting a perfect jump. Later, both US and Italian parachutists will tell us what from the ground seemed to the non parachutists among us quite an easy job under perfect circumstances of weather and terrain, was not such a nice walk, after all. The winds were rather strong at jumping altitude, and it takes quite a bit of expertise to properly jump out from a C to avoid hitting the fuselage or getting a wrong descent position when the canopy opens. And, the chutes themselves were of the old military types, not so easily guided as those of today.
Hats off to all of the men who, with passion and professionalism, carry their wish to honor the fighters of yesterday one step forward than most of us do.
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The C, its mission accomplished, donates us a magnificent low altitude passage on the drop zone, which leaves everybody exited and constitutes the perfect crowning of our wonderful morning at the drop zone. The weather is hot, and everybody starts feeling the tiredness accumulated during the previous days. After the air show, the lunch, and official ceremonies including a presentation of honorary certificates to all who jumped in the morning, we move one last time to nearby Sermide, along the Po river, where the people are waiting for us with the usual happiness and warmth which meant so much to us during the whole event.
Such is the crowd that we can hardly reach the riverside area where a reenacting camp has been setup since Saturday, and where our amphibious vehicles will be launched into the river for a final demonstration. The first one to go is a modern vehicle by the Fire Brigade, which will act as a safety boat. Our DUCKWs then descend into the river, necessitating a careful driving since the waters are swollen by the rain of the previous week.
This also prevents them to transports reenactors and visitors, as we had planned to do. So there we are, back where we started our story. The day is advancing towards its end. The first groups of participants start preparing their vehicles for the trip back home to locations stranded all along Italy. We have shared a unique experience, which in retrospect has developed even too fast for grasping its many pleasant moments, its varied character.
Our initial euphoria in Rome, soon to be overshadowed by the long trip to Viterbo. The cheering crowd in Castiglion Fiorentino a fleeting picture replaced by the beautiful locations in historic Florence. The beautiful landscapes of the Northern Apennines, giving way to our long ride through the Po Valley and our night entry into Ferrara. And all of this finally absorbed by our magnificent last day, marked by the spectacular jumps by the ADT and the Italian Parachutists Association, with the essential contribution of our British friends and their C plane, whose coming — according to the rumors spread by a few malignant individuals, was but a publicity stunt by our Association.
Sorry, it was all for real, and the Column of Liberation will be remembered for long as an unprecedented event on the Italian HMV and reenacting scene. As always in this kind of endeavors, many people have significantly contributed to the success of the event, and we redirect to all of them the many sincere words of congratulations and appreciation, which we have received from so many quarters. If anything, the Column of Liberation has confirmed the old saying that unity is strength.
It is now up to all Italian HMV clubs and individual collectors to make sure this will not be an isolated occurrence. To understand this success points in the right direction to develop the hobby in our country, by putting aside the parochialism and — in a few cases — the personal idiosyncrasies which have only hampered the growth of a mature and constructive HMV scene in Italy, to the benefit and for the enjoyment of all concerned.
Meanwhile, we still have to get home from Sermide. And our long trip to Tuscany under the fading sun in the west of the Po valley and through the darkness of the Apennines night will be a notable HMV experience in itself, full of beautiful moments and sensations. So, time to go. The gear is in neutral, the ignition turned on.
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With clutch depressed, a light step on the starting switch is all that is needed to start our trusted Willys on the first try. Its engine seems to be purring even more happily than usual, maybe she feels we are going back at last. Departure from Viterbo towards Orvieto 9: Transit through Orvieto, proceeds towards Todi PG Arrival in Perugia and stop. Transit through Magione towards Lake Trasimeno Arrival at Lake Trasimeno and stop for lunch.
Departure towards Castiglion del Lago 3: Arrival in Castiglion Fiorentino 3: Vehicles exhibition with detachment from the Italian Red Cross 6: Vehicles exhibition with detachment from the Italian Red Cross in Lucca The Column will stop from April 21 to April 24, allowing for the arrival and deployment of parachute reenactors. Departure towards Arezzo 9: Arrival in Arezzo and stop. Departure towards Montevarchi Transit through Montevarchi Arrival in Pontassieve and stop for lunch 2: Departure towards Florence 2: Transit through Rovezzano 3: Vehicles exhibition with detachment from the Italian Red Cross.
Departure towards Scarepria Highway 65 7: Arrival in Scarperia and stop for dinner and sleeping accommodations. Departure from Lucca towards Pescia Transit through Montecatini Terme Arrival in Pistoia and stop. Arrival in Prato and stop for lunch 1: Departure towards Florence 3: Departure from Scarperia towards Lake Bilancino 9: Transit along Lake Bilancino 9: Transit through Barberino di Mugello towards the Futa Pass 9: Arrival at the Futa Pass Transit through Pietramala towards the Raticosa Pass Arrival in Monghidoro and stop.
Transit through Loiano Transit through Livergnano towards Botteghino di Zocca 1: Departure towards Castenaso 2: Transit through Castenaso 3: Transits through San Pietro in Casale. Transit through Cento towards Mirabello. Arrival at Poggio Renatico and stop for dinner.
Departure from Poggio Renatico towards Ferrara. Arrival in Ferrara, vehicles exhibition and recovery for the night. Departure from Ferrara towards Vigarano Mainarda 9: Departure from Bondeno towards Sermide Departure from Sermide towards Dragoncello Arrival in Felonica and stop for lunch.