Un secolo di storie

Il transatlantico Conte Biancamano al Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci

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open access | peer reviewed
    edited by
  • Giovanni Pietrangeli - Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci - email
  • Marco Iezzi - Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci - email

Abstract
Launched in 1925 and in service until 1960, the ocean liner Conte Biancamano was one of the most important ships in the history of Italian navigation in the first half of the twentieth century. Tracking the history of this ship provides a unique insight into some of the century's most significant events: the golden age of transoceanic travel, during which it operated on routes between North and South America carrying passengers ranging from first to third class; the Fascist era, when it sailed to East Africa, India and China; World War II, when it was requisitioned to transport American military personnel; and the post-war period, when it became the first passenger ship to undergo refitting in Italy. In 1960, when the Biancamano was decommissioned, the then Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnica acquired its bridge, ballroom and several cabins, all of which are now preserved in the Aeronaval Pavilion. The many lives of the Biancamano are explored in this book through contributions from scholars of various disciplines, including maritime, economic, industrial and labour history, as well as museology. These contributions help to enrich research into the historical and social context of which this ocean liner is now a material and symbolic testament.

Keywords Maritime transport • Shipping companies • Maritime history • Conte Biancamano • Twentieth century Italy • Italian navigation sector • Italian ocean liner • Business history • Cultural heritage • Museology

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-952-8 | e-ISBN 978-88-6969-952-8 | ISBN (PRINT) 978-88-6969-953-5 | Number of pages 188 | Dimensions 24x22cm | Published Oct. 9, 2025 | Submitted June 17, 2025 | Language it

Copyright © 2025 Giovanni Pietrangeli, Marco Iezzi. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.