Italy's railway heritage is among the richest in Europe, the first steam railway in Italy (and third in the world) ran between Naples and Portici in 1839, six years after the Liverpool-Manchester Railway opened. The specific Italian contribution to railway engineering includes the rack-and-pinion mountain railways of the Alps and Apennines (some still operating), the narrow-gauge systems that connected the interior of Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria to the coast (some preserved, some still operational as tourist railways), and the specific Italian industrial design tradition that produced the ETR 200 (the world's first electric high-speed train, which set the world land speed record at 203 km/h in 1939) and the ETR 500 (the Frecciarossa's predecessor). For the rail enthusiast, Italy offers both the most modern high-speed system in Europe and some of the most evocative surviving examples of nineteenth and early twentieth-century railway infrastructure.
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Italy's Essential Rail Experiences for Enthusiasts
Trenino Verde della Sardegna
The Trenino Verde (Little Green Train) is a network of narrow-gauge (950mm) tourist railways operated by ARST through the Sardinian interior, using historic rolling stock on routes built between 1888 and 1916. The operating routes in 2026: the Mandas-Arbatax line (the "Orient Express of Sardinia". 160 km through the Gennargentu mountains and the Ogliastra coast, 7+ hours one way, the most spectacular narrow-gauge journey in Italy). The Nulvi-Tempio Pausania line (through the Anglona hills of northern Sardinia). And several shorter routes. The Trenino Verde operates seasonally (June-September for most routes. Check sardegnaturismo.it for current 2026 schedule). The specific enthusiast appeal: the original 1914-era steam and diesel rolling stock, the operating infrastructure of the narrow-gauge network on routes closed to normal traffic, and the specific Sardinian landscape accessible only by this railway.
Treno Natura (Tuscany)
The Treno Natura is a series of steam and vintage diesel excursions operated by Fondazione FS Italiane on the Monte Amiata scenic railway (Siena-Asciano-Monte Antico, built 1884) through the Val d'Orcia UNESCO landscape. Operating on specific Sundays spring-autumn (calendar at fsitaliane.it/trenatura). Approximately 4-5 hours round trip. Includes a steam locomotive, vintage carriages, and a stop for a local food market. The landscape visible from the train windows, the rolling clay hills, the cypress-lined farm roads, the medieval towers, is the same Val d'Orcia that appears in Renaissance paintings.
Ferrovia Circumetnea
The Circumetnea is a 114km narrow-gauge (950mm) railway that circles the base of Etna at 700-900m altitude, connecting Catania to Riposto via the interior villages of the northern Etna slope. The railway's daily service operates on electrically-operated modern rolling stock on the Catania-Randazzo segment. The Randazzo-Riposto segment has limited service. For the enthusiast: the combination of the vintage infrastructure (the track bed, the stations, the route engineering of the 1890s construction) and the extraordinary visual context (Etna's volcanic cone above, the Ionian coast below) makes this one of the most visually dramatic narrow-gauge railways in Europe. The Giarre-Riposto station (the eastern terminus) is one of the most atmospheric disused railway stations in Sicily.
The Museo Ferroviario di Pietrarsa
The Museo Nazionale Ferroviario di Pietrarsa (Portici, near Naples, accessible from Naples Centrale by regional train or from the Circumvesuviana) is the most important railway museum in Italy, located at the site of the Royal Bourbon engineering works that produced the first Italian locomotives and maintained the Naples-Portici railway. The collection: approximately 100 full-size locomotives and carriages including the ETR 200 (the world-record-setting 1939 electric train), the authentic Bayard locomotive (an 1839 copy of the original first Italian engine, named for a station on the Naples-Portici line), the first electric locomotive in Italy, and the complete development of Italian traction from 1839 to the 1990s. Open Tuesday-Sunday, approximately €8.
Q&A: Italy Train Heritage
Are there any surviving steam locomotives still operating in Italy?
Yes. Fondazione FS Italiane (the railway heritage foundation of the Ferrovie dello Stato group) maintains and operates a fleet of approximately 12-15 steam locomotives for the Treno Natura excursions and special occasions. The locomotives aren't daily service but operate on a programd excursion calendar published at fsitaliane.it. The E.428 class electric locomotive (the most powerful Italian locomotive of the 1930s) is displayed at Pietrarsa. The P.36 steam locomotive is preserved at several museum sites. A specific steam-hauled excursion calendar is published in January for the following year.
Internal Links
- Italian Train Types: The Full Modern Network
- Train Travel Italy: The Complete Guide
- Regional Trains: The Network Beyond High-Speed
- Sardinia: Base for the Trenino Verde
- Italy Transport: Railway in the Full Context
- Treno Natura: The Tuscany Excursion Calendar
- Ferrovia Circumetnea: Sicily's Mountain Railway
