Unfortunately, the legendary Ju52 D‑AQUI has reached the end of its operational life and is now a museum piece. I still remember, though, that about thirty years ago, in April, to mark its anniversary, Lufthansa (which at the time was still a serious airline, highly regarded by Italians for its proverbial punctuality and reliability) organized a tour of this aircraft across the main Italian airports. At each stop, one or two days of flights were scheduled, and I was lucky enough to take a half‑hour scenic flight over Venice and its lagoon.

Back then, passengers were invited and didn’t have to pay anything; in fact, a generous buffet was offered at the airport after the flight. I can still recall that the boarding pass for that flight bore the words “First Class,” even though the seating was extremely basic and the onboard service practically nonexistent.