Balloon in Tuscany

The Tuscan Aerostatic Association

The history, vision, and values that gave rise to modern aerostatic aviation in Tuscany

The Tuscan Aerostatic Association is today recognized as one of the leading national reference points in the world of hot air ballooning, but its roots lie in a vision born many years earlier: to spread the culture of aerostatic aviation in Tuscany, making flight accessible, safe, and understandable to everyone.

This vision took shape in 1994, when Stefano Travaglia and Gianna Volpi, united by a deep passion for the sky and the freedom of flight, founded Idea Balloon, the first organization to operate regular hot air balloon flights in Tuscany.

At a time when there were no official balloon launch sites and no real hot air ballooning culture, Stefano and Gianna transported their equipment wherever it was possible to take off, offering hundreds of people a completely new experience.
This ability to move freely across the territory helped make them known throughout the region and beyond, spreading a passion that, at the time, still carried the allure of discovery.

From birth to growth: the first Aerostatic Port in an Art City

In 1999, thanks to the experience gained and growing demand, the Tuscan Aerostatic Association was officially established, with its operational headquarters in Florence. Here, a historic milestone was achieved: the first Aerostatic Port in an Art City in Italy.

For the first time, hot air ballooning became a permanent part of the cultural and urban context of a city with internationally recognized artistic value.

In the years that followed, due to changes in regulations regarding urban overflights, operations were permanently moved to the Chianti area, to Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, where since 2000 the association has been flying continuously, remaining true to its founding values:

  • spreading the culture of hot air ballooning
  • preserving the tradition of the first means by which humans took flight
  • telling the story of Tuscany from a unique and poetic perspective
  • explaining the physical principles that govern aerostatic flight
  • always ensuring the highest level of passenger safety

All flights are carried out exclusively in optimal weather conditions, using certified equipment, undergoing regular inspections, and adhering to high technical standards—elements that have always distinguished the Tuscan Aerostatic Association.

Some key figures about the Balloon in Tuscany Association

10.000+

hot air balloon flights carried out.

30.000+

passengers carried

∞

endless emotions shared in the skies over Tuscany

Over 30,000 passengers and thousands of flights in the skies of Tuscany

Over the years, thanks to a professional yet deeply human approach, more than 30,000 people have flown with the Tuscan Aerostatic Association, for a total of over 10,000 hot air balloon ascents.

Each experience has always been designed as a complete journey:
from flight preparation, to a breakfast with typical Chianti products, to the option of purchasing drone video footage filmed during the experience.

At the same time, the team has grown over the years and is now a close-knit group of qualified pilots and technicians, able to uphold the same values of quality, hospitality, and safety that have defined the association since its very beginning.

Inclusivity, innovation, and a basket unique in Italy

Care for people has always been one of the association’s core pillars.
In 2007, based on an original design by Stefano Travaglia, a special basket for people with disabilities was created—certified and unique in Italy.

This solution allows anyone to experience the emotion of a hot air balloon flight in complete safety, without barriers or distinctions, turning the Tuscan Aerostatic Association into a national reference point for inclusion in aerostatic aviation.

Stefano Travaglia: the founder

The story of a man who turned a dream into a national aerostatic reference point

The history of the Tuscan Aerostatic Association is deeply intertwined with the life and passion of Stefano Travaglia.
Curious and multifaceted, throughout his life he pursued different paths: from artistic studies to working in the aviation sector as the first handling agent in Italy for Panerai at Florence Peretola Airport, following flight operations both on the ground and as a flight attendant.

The turning point came with his meeting with Robert Hetherington, an English pilot living in Tuscany in the 1990s. During a flight organized for a friend’s birthday, Stefano discovered the principles of hot air balloon piloting—it was love at first sight.

In just three months, he obtained his pilot’s license, choosing Brian Jones as his instructor, renowned for his round-the-world balloon flight with Bertrand Piccard.
Driven by an unstoppable passion, he even hitchhiked to England, where he purchased his first hot air balloon and later brought it back to Tuscany.

From that moment on, his life became a mission: to help aerostatic aviation grow in Italy, collaborating with internationally renowned figures such as Don Conner (Gulf Air Balloon) and Lindstrand, one of the world’s leading hot air balloon manufacturers.

A man of the air

For Stefano, the hot air balloon has never been just a means of flight, but a part of himself: powerful and ever-present, yet at the same time delicate and poetic.
Over the course of his career, he has trained more than 20 pilots, taken part in and organized national ballooning gatherings, and carried out extensive educational outreach in schools and at universities.

At the Faculty of Architecture in Florence, he delivered lectures that led to several theses on the topic of aerostatic ports in Medici villas, showing how hot air ballooning can engage in dialogue with urban planning, history, and the cultural heritage of the region.

A legacy that continues

Since then, the activity has continued with the same dedication thanks to:

Gianna Volpi, partner and co-founder;
and the team of pilots and technicians that Stefano trained over the years.

The Tuscan Aerostatic Association thus continues to carry forward its vision: combining passion, safety, and respect for local culture to reveal Tuscany in one of the most emotional and poetic ways imaginable.

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