The 50th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori!

The 50^th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori (the Tricolour Arrows, also known as the P.A.N.—Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale—National Aerobatic Team), the pride and joy of both Italy and Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), took place on September 11^th-12^th, 2010 at the Rivolto airbase, located just a hop, skip and a jump from the splendid town of Udine.

Approximately 500,000 people showed up from all over Italy as well as neighbouring countries for this spectacular two-day air show which saw over 100 aircrafts involved, including the highly impressive (and very loud) EFA 2000 Euro-fighter “Typhoon”. The event was also the occasion to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the performance by the pilots of the international aerobatic teams. RAI, Italy’s state-run television network, gave ample coverage to the air show in Italy and for millions of Italians living abroad, including the many immigrants that hail from the Friuli area.

Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano, expressed his high admiration for the Frecce (as they are also affectionately called by Italians) in light of the festivities surrounding the 150^th anniversary of Italy’s unity by saying that the “Frecce are a symbol of unity and peace”. His words were also echoed by the highest government official present at the air show, Italian Defence Minister Ignacio La Russa, who stated that the “Frecce are an important calling card for Italy throughout the world. The Frecce are also at the forefront of showing others what Italians are capable of doing”.

But the Frecce were not alone in Rivolto. They were also in the illustrious company of some of the most important foreign aerobatic teams in the world. A total of ten different nations participated at the air-show: Poland, England (and the Royal Air Force’s “Red Arrows”), Croatia, Jordan (and their “Falcons”), Spain, Switzerland, Korea (and their “Black Eagles”), South Africa, Japan (and their “Blue Impulse”) and France with one of the oldest (1931) and best teams in the world, the “Patrouille de France Acrobatique”.

The Frecce have been entertaining Italians and the world alike with their stunning display of aerobatic flying for the last 50 years. In all these years they have not only become an exceptionally important symbol for Italy and FVG throughout the world but they have also become an excellent “ambassador” for Italian technological and military know-how abroad. As Luca Ciriani, the vice-president of the FVG region, stated, “The pilots of the Frecce Tricolori are also outstanding testimonials for tourism in FVG and their capabilities are a fine example of what many around the world admire so much about Italy”. And it is the likes of Ciriani and so many other people in FVG who are exceptionally proud to host the garrison/hq of this phenomenal team which has entertained millions of spectators around the globe.

Boris Spassky in Udine!

So just how many times can you say, if you’re a very modest chess player like yours truly (my dad taught me when I was a kid), that you’ve shaken the hand of a Grand Master who was world champion in 1969? Ah, but this isn’t just any old Grand Master. This is a man who in 1972 saw defeat, perhaps in the same way as George Foreman did against Muhammad Ali in Zaire (as poor old George said of that world title event: “I was depressed for one year”!), against one of the most brilliant and yet lunatic chess players in the world (brilliant in that the man “only” had an IQ of 180, on his lunacy, more in a second or two!), in what’s been deemed as the greatest chess final of all-time, against America’s Bobby Fischer in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik!

And why lunatic? Well, because during the final Fischer didn’t like the sound of the television cameras, or the lighting, or the chairs or several other small details. So “out-of-this-world” was the man (a Jew but a proclaimed anti-Semitic!) that when Nixon got the news that “capitalism” had prevailed over “communism” (the Russkies at that point had been perhaps the greatest in the world at chess), he was obviously happy, but had half-jokingly turned to his side-kick, Dr. Kissinger, and said as Fischer was to return to New York: “Have his plane hijacked to Cuba”!

As Spassky himself said in the wonderful book on that epic final, “Bobby Fischer Goes To War” (see cover):”When you play Bobby, it is not a question of whether you win or lose. It is a question of whether you survive”!

A double honour for me as I also got to ask him if he thought that had Fischer NOT been so picky with the lighting and what-not, could he have possibly won that final? He told me that his fellow “Soviets” are the ones who instead drove him crazy (read: KGB)! During the final both U.S. and Soviet secret services were also monitoring the match as it was after-all during one of the “hottest” moments during the Cold War period between the two (rival) nations.

Thanks to the local tourism folks and the City of Udine, Spassky was invited for two days to Udine during the wonderful event known as “Bianco & Nero” (Black & White, the official colours by the way of Udine). He spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of chess aficionados, including Udine’s mayor Furio Honsell who is a mathematician by profession. Spassky, clad in running shoes (he’s been living for years in Paris with his 3^rd wife) gave a few lessons on some of his previous and more memorable matches and the following day took on 20 players simultaneously outdoors and on the doorsteps of City Hall, winning naturally and also drawing with some of the younger champions (all pics by M. Rimati).