The Mosaics of Flight by Angelo Canevari

The architectural and artistic heritage of Forlì includes a work of great value, both from a cultural and historical point of view – the mosaics in the former Aeronautical College. The mosaics are perhaps the most striking example of the ‘dissonant’ heritage of the city of Forlì – the ‘città del Duce’ rebuilt as a showcase for Fascism in the 1920s and 1930s. This surprising visual narrative has an intrinsic artistic value linked to some of the main elements of Futurism: thrill of speed, the exaltation of technique, the choice of dynamic lines and geometric shapes, the celebration of heroic deeds. This links the mosaics with the vision of Gabriele D'Annunzio as well as to the ideology of the regime. As such they are a perfect examples of that "dissonant heritage" that is increasingly an important element in public heritage and historical memory.