When Italians first soared
The First International Soaring Concourse in Italy 1924, Asiago. One hundred years ago. by Vincenzo Pedrielli Engine-less flying began to be known in Italy only in the Spring of 1924. Until then, Italians had only seen mentions of it on German and French publications. In that year, the Lega Aerea Nazionale (Italian National Aviation League), with the fervid cooperation of the “La Gazzetta dello Sport” newspaper, announced the first Italian international soaring meeting. Finding a suitable place for the meeting turned out to be the greatest difficulty. Accordingly, a prize was instituted to be awarded to anyone who would suggest an appropriate location for the purpose. A terrain with the right conformation, swept by winds of sufficient strength was required. Many people, passionate about flight, began searching but, for a variety of reasons, the proposed locations were one by one discarded. Eventually, the only remaining place in the list was