Naples-Portici, 187 years ago, Italy entered the train era: a celebration with the Pietrarsa Express and special tours.

Naples – On October 3, 1839, Italy crossed the threshold of modernity: that day, the Naples-Portici line was inaugurated, the peninsula's first railway line, a 7.411-meter stretch covered in just eleven minutes that kicked off an economic, industrial, and social transformation that would shape the country's history.

187 years after that event, on Saturday, October 3, the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa is dedicating a special day to the memory and appreciation of that heritage, with a packed program of openings, visits, immersive experiences, and railway-themed initiatives.

A museum born on the first Italian railway

The museum complex stands along the historic Naples-Portici line and preserves the memory of Italy's first major railway industrial hub: the Royal Pietrarsa Factory, commissioned by Ferdinand II of Bourbon and opened in 1840. With locomotives, historic carriages, documents, models, and testimonies, the museum recounts nearly two centuries of innovation and progress on Italian railways.

Schedules, tickets, and how to get there on the historic train

For the anniversary, the Museum will be open from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, with last admission at 5:30 pm. A special rate of 3 euros is available for all visitors aged 6 and over; holders of the Free Circulation Card (Carta di Libera Circolazione) can purchase a reduced ticket price of 1 euro.

One of the most exciting new features is the opportunity to reach the museum aboard the "Pietrarsa Express," the historic train connecting Naples to Pietrarsa, featuring 30s "Centoporte" carriages pulled by an electric locomotive. Travelers with a return ticket can access the museum for a special fee of €1.

Guided tours and the “Virtual Journey” of 1839
Throughout the day, guided tours will be available, as well as the "Virtual Journey" experience, an immersive journey that allows you to retrace the first historic rail journey in 1839 and relive the emotions of the birth of the Italian railway.

The E.551.001 locomotive and the memory of three-phase

In the Steam Locomotive Pavilion, for the occasion, it will be possible to admire the raised pantograph of the historic E.551.001 locomotive, a symbolic gesture that recalls the technological evolution of the Italian railway and ideally connects to the celebrations in May in Acqui Terme marking the 50th anniversary of the last train to use three-phase technology.
Starting at 12:00 p.m., the locomotive will be the focus of an institutional event, streamed live on the FS Italiane Foundation's social media channels, with speeches by Oreste Orvitti, director of the Pietrarsa National Railway Museum, and Carlo Franceri of the Verona Treno Club Association.

The Cesa De Marchi model railway is back in operation.

Also for the anniversary, the Cesa De Marchi model railway, recently restored and back in operation inside the Modelling Pavilion, will be reopened. The model railway reproduces a stretch of railway featuring the three-phase system, demonstrating the ongoing work of the FS Italiane Foundation to preserve and enhance the historical and technical heritage.