Sant Anna

45°43'38"N 008°36'30"E

runway: Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) - water

Air'field' Sant'Anna (also known as Airvergiate Flying School or Sesto Calende) was a seaplane base near Sesto Calende on Lake Maggiore, northwest of Milan, Italy.
The airfield was built in 1915 when Italy's first civilian flying school opened adjacent to what was to become a seaplane base and production facility. At the site Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia (the 'Upper Italian Hydroplane Society', or SIAI for short) began building seaplanes for the military in 1917.

In the 1920s and 1930s it became a base for the testing of Savoia Marchetti (the new name of SIAI) built seaplanes. It had a key role in preparing the flight heroic flights to Melbourne and Tokio by a SIAI S.16 (1925) and across the Atlantic by Savoia Marchetti SM55s built at Cesto Calende (1930).


SIAI S.16 at Lake Maggiore in 1919 (Wikipedia).


Savoia-Marchetti S.55 at Lake Maggiore (Geocaching.com).

According to a legend that fascinates Italian X-Files and UFO enthusiasts, Mussolini's Secret Service brought and hid here certain mysterious "unconventional aircraft" which arrived in the area in 1933. During World War II it also housed the so-called X 'Flottiglia MAS' (nothing mysterious about the X-Flotilla, the 'X' simply means 'Tenth'). As a result of the ongoing research at the site, it was bombed several times by Allied (mainly USAAF) bombers.

After World War II SIAI-Marchetti (renamed again) emerged as a shadow of its former self and the site was abandoned and neglected for decades. It is currently being restored and now houses a small civil aviation training center. Pilots will however not use the calm waters of Lake Maggiore for flying, but instead use the nearby Biella Airport. There are plans to reactivate the water landing area though.
Still in existence are the gate and a hangar that has been converted to the flightschool. Behind the flight school is a larger hangar, which is currently under restauration. Next to the gate is a World War II-era bunker. Several other buildings and the former pier also still exist, albeit in a derelict state.
Part of the site is now in use as a training center for AugustaWestland, now Leonardo. The remainder of the terrain is now a public park.


Overview of the site in 2001 (Google Earth)


Overview of the site in 2008 (Google Earth)


Bunker next to the entrance of Sant'Anna in 2006 (Wikipedia).


Entrance to the flying school (Wikipedia).