On May 11th 2026, the MUSAM – Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare di Vigna di Valle (Italian Air Force Museum) in Vigna di Valle, on the shores of Lake Bracciano near Rome, hosted Polar Night at the Museum, a special evening dedicated to the centenary of one of the most extraordinary achievements in the history of aviation and exploration: the first documented flight over the North Pole, accomplished in 1926 by the airship N1 Norge during the Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile expedition.
Conceived as one of the key moments within the broader Norge Polar 100 programme, the event brought together researchers, aviation professionals, historians, institutions, designers and guests from different countries for an immersive cultural experience inside the remarkable setting of the MUSAM.
The evening began with guest arrivals and a welcome briefing in the museum conference hall, introducing participants to the historical significance of the Norge expedition and the wider centenary programme. As the sun set over Lake Bracciano, guests gathered for a vin d’honneur on the museum terrace, followed by guided visits among the historic aircraft collection with experts and researchers.
From 21:00 onwards, the museum spaces transformed into a multimedia environment among the aircraft of the Italian Air Force. The experience combined archival imagery, historical materials, sounds, projections and storytelling, accompanied by an apericena served directly within the exhibition setting.
One of the most distinctive moments of the evening was the series of international video greetings from cities linked to the original Norge route and to polar exploration history. Experts, museum representatives and associations joined remotely from Italy, France, Bulgaria, England, Norway, Sweden and the United States, reinforcing the international dimension of the commemoration and the enduring cultural resonance of the polar flight.
The event continued into the night with informal talks, reflections and interventions by guests and experts, accompanying participants toward the exact centenary moment of the conquest of the North Pole, one hundred years after the historic achievement of the Norge expedition.
Organized by GoodGear and SEBA, and curated by Max Pinucci, Polar Night at the Museum was realized with the participation of the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force), the Italian Geographical Society, OceanSky Cruises and other distinguished guests from the worlds of culture, research and aviation. Technical direction for the event was provided by MBVision.
More than a historical commemoration, the evening became an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between exploration, technology, communication and collective imagination, themes that remain profoundly relevant a century after the polar flight of the N1 Norge.
Speakers and video interventions
- Max Pinucci – Expert, aircraft designer, author and pilot
- Maxim Artamonov – Director of GoodGear Around the World association, Nyon, Switzerland
- Paolo De Vita – Director of MUSAM, officer and pilot
- Gregory Gottlieb – Airships Association (video)
- John Stevenson – Animation Director (video)
- Antonio Ventre – Expert, director of the Umberto Nobile Museum, Lauro
- Gianluca Casagrande – G-Lab SGI director at Italian Geographical Society
- Anders Bache – Roald Amundsens House, Follo Museum-Mia (video)
- Giovanni Pesce – Expert, researcher, and grandson of Giuseppe Pesce, airship designer
- Alastair Reid – Airships Expert
- Geir O. Kløver – Fram Museum Director (video)
- Ulf Svenson – Advisory Board & Co-founder Oceansky Cruises
- Daria Björn – Concept artist, designer
- Paola Catapano – CERN Science Communicator and Explorer
- Roberto Sparapani – CNR, Istituto Di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, La Sapienza, Roma
- Inga Sochneva – Polarkreis Association (video)
- Gonzalo Gimeno – Head of marketing and sales at Oceansky Cruises
- Thibault Proux – Engineer, airship designer at Flying Whales, France (video)
- Luca La Bombarda – Engineer, Norge Polar 100 member, Nome Alaska
- Casey Pape – Expert, Carrie McLane Museum, Nome, Alaska
- Kremena Dimova – Regional History Museum Yambol, Bulgaria (video)
- Dan Grossman – Airship expert, historian, author, USA (video)
- Jeff Vasel – Executive director of the Moffet Field Museum, USA (video)
- Gerardo Cervone – Italian Airforce Colonel, Head of SMA office
Photo Gallery
Norge Polar 100 Collection
In 1926, the airship N1 Norge completed the first documented flight to the North Pole.
A century later, we celebrate this milestone with a special commemorative philatelic and editorial collection
SEE THE COLLECTION ➜
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