Portrait photograph of Benito Mussolini with a signed personal greeting to Roald Amundsen.
In April 1924, Amundsen was in Italy in connection with the planned expedition to cross the Arctic Ocean with two Dornier-Wal flying boats, which were being built under licence in Pisa. Amundsen met Mussolini in Milan, where he was presented with this photograph.
Amundsen and Mussolini also met in connection with the 1926 Norge expedition, but their relationship deteriorated markedly following Amundsen’s criticisms of Umberto Nobile and the other Italian crew members after the expedition.
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Mussolini’s portrait on display in Amundsen’s home. The date of this photograph is unknown, but the model of the Dornier flying boat still hangs from the living room ceiling. Photo: Follo museum, MiA.
