Mussolini served as a Lieutenant (Tenente) in the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica).

Unlike his brother, Vittorio was not considered a serious pilot and described bombing masses of Ethiopian civilians as "a rose opening up" and killing as "exceptionally good fun".

[3] In later years, Vittorio made much of his contact and friendship with left-wing and Jewish directors, writers, and film critics during the brief period in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when he edited the journal Cinema.

Openly leftist critics such as Michelangelo Antonioni were published in the magazine, and Vittorio even found lodgings for the distinguished German Jewish critic Rudolf Arnheim in the Roman Mussolini residence, Villa Torlonia; with another Jewish friend, Orlando Piperno, Vittorio took part in the Mille Miglia car race, finishing tenth.

[4] Mussolini worked with many of Italy's best film directors, such as Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, and Michelangelo Antonioni.