Italian Transatlantic Air Cruise 'Base Atlantica' Overprint

Italy · 1933 · 5.25 L + 44.75 L

This stamp is part of the famous 'Triptych' series issued for General Italo Balbo's 1933 transatlantic mass formation flight. The design features a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel III, a depiction of the Savoia-Marchetti S.55X flying boats over the Atlantic, and a tablet with a special overprint 'BASE ATLANTICA'. This specific overprint was applied to stamps used for mail posted from the Italian air base during the expedition.

The stamp commemorates the epic 1933 mass flight of 24 Italian seaplanes from Orbetello, Italy, to the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, a major feat of aviation and a significant propaganda event for Mussolini's Fascist regime.