European Railroad Discussion > Italy railfanning questions

I'll be in Italy (Rome) in mid-March, with about 2 1/2 days after my wife leaves for some railfanning.  I've never spent much time in Italy - are there any locations or lines I should make sure to see or ride?  I'm thinking about the narrow gauge line in the south from Bari to Potenza, or the standard gauge FSE lines coming out of Bari.  Any mainline locations that are particularly busy or scenic?  Thanks in advance.

dwatry Wrote:
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> I'll be in Italy (Rome) in mid-March, with about 2
> 1/2 days after my wife leaves for some
> railfanning.  I've never spent much time in Italy
> - are there any locations or lines I should make
> sure to see or ride?  I'm thinking about the
> narrow gauge line in the south from Bari to
> Potenza, or the standard gauge FSE lines coming
> out of Bari.  Any mainline locations that are
> particularly busy or scenic?  Thanks in advance.

The lines south of Genova travel through the Cinqueterra are quite remarkable from both a scenic and a engineering standpoint. La Spezia is at the south end and there are good connection to Florence .

This is a difficult question to answer because there is so much to see and do, and it depends quite a lot on what you really want!

Roma is great starting place, because it is central in a north- south sense, and you can make good round day trips if you are staying there. Riding up the coast to Genoa is certainly wonderful through the Cinque Terra, but there is also a lot of coastal plain. One good round trip might be Roma - Grossetto - Siena - Firenze - Roma, with perhaps a side trip on the Firenze - Roma leg from Arezzo up the LFI branch to Stia (or the other way from Arezzo to Sinalunga), However even better might be a day trrip on of the two steam specials which run from Siena on Sundays March 13 and 25. These trips are just wonderful, very Italian with something for everyone and usually hauled by one of the locos from Pistoia, either a large 2-6-0 (with a pivoting front driving axle so that it works like a 4-4-0), or the large 2-6-2 built for express passenger work. Italian Railways were very early in doing extensive main line electrification, and as a result no new steam designs apppeared after the early 1920s. They did go in for a lot of rebuildng and modernisation of their steam locos though.

I have a very good English friend in the booking office in Siena which promotes these trains. please PM me if you would like details.

Good luck, Paul



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/16 14:46 by spflow.

Another interesting option is to go south to Sicily. You'll have the adventure of your train being loaded onto a ferry. Taormina is an attractive end point.

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I lived in Rome from 2001-2007 and rode a few trains, although mostly locals in and around Rome. 

Here are some reflections/suggestions based on my experience there. 

If you like streetcars, the number 3 goes from Trastevere to the Borghese Gardens, traveling in an arc on the east of the city. It's an opportunity to see parts of Rome that are off the beaten path. I rode this in October with a friend and enjoyed riding the route again.

There is a narrow gauge train from Termini to Giardinetti, the remnant of a once much longer line. The easternmost section was taken out of service a few years ago and will be part of the Metro C line.This is not terribly scenic, but you do get a feel for that part of the city. When I rode it you actually did not hear that much Italian, because there are a lot of immigrants in the neighborhoods. Some of the equipment dated back to the '30s, but I don't know what's running now.

There is a train from a station near the Pyramid (Lido-Ostia) that goes past Ostia Antica to the coast. Ostia is interesting for its ruins -- it was once a thriving port. Near the station is another station, Ostiense, which is on a mainline of the system. The station was completed in time to honor Hitler when he visited Rome. Across the tracks is a newer staton that was built in the '90s as a station for trains to the airport. It was not cost effective to keep it open, apparently, and now has been converted into a rather impressive Eataly, full of wonderful gourmet foods from Italy. (There are other Eataly locations, e.g., in Chicago, New York.) The subway, Metro B line, serves the stations. 

There is a line from Rome to Viterbo that is more or less an interurban. It leaves from the Flaminio station. It has been more than ten years since I rode the line. There is also a Trenitalia line that passes through Viterbo to Rome, so you could do a nice round trip. Viterbo is a pleasant and historic city.

Train service was generally very good when I was there. I once travled from Florence (S.M. Novella) to our house in Rome in two hours -- including a bus trip from Termini. Driving it would have required something like three hours. 

For local trains, buses, trams, and the subway, the same ticket is used. It is valid for, I  recall,70 minutes. Be sure to validate the ticket in the machines provided. You can go fairly far on local trains, but you need to know the limits of what is considered local. 

Train travel is inexpensive and pleasant in Italy.I hope you have a great trip!

 

colehour - thanks!