Museo Nazionale Ferroviario di Pietrarsa

The National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa, one of the most evocative museums in our country, allows the visitor to live a fascinating journey through time among locomotives and trains that connected Italy from 1839 to the present day, in 184 years of history of the Italian railways. The buildings that now house the museum are the ancient pavilions of the Royal Mechanical, Pyrotechnic and Locomotive Factory founded by Ferdinand II of Bourbon in 1840 to free the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from the English and French technical supremacy.

The workshops were built next to the first Italian railway line, from Naples to Portici, inaugurated on October 3, 1839. Therefore, Pietrarsa represents the first Italian industrial pole (preceding 44 years the foundation of Breda and 57 years that of Fiat), active until the 70s of the 20th century, when the affirmation of electric and diesel locomotives determined the decline of the steam traction and together of the factory. In 1977 the workshops were destined to become a railway museum, which was inaugurated in 1989 after the adaptation works. Thanks to the restoration interventions that took place between 2014 and 2017, the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa has become the prestigious and fascinating place we can admire today.

The architecture of the nineteenth-century pavilions has been restored and the outdoor spaces enhanced with a Mediterranean Garden and a new glass parapet for the terrace on the seafront, which offers a unique view of the Gulf of Naples. New technologies also play an important role in the new life of the museum: the cinema hall, equipped with the most performing audio and video equipments, the comfortable and functional congress area and the new interactive visit methods, with virtual reality systems and dedicated apps, make Pietrarsa one of the most important railway museums in Europe. The Museum spreads over an area of 36,000 square metres, 14,000 of which are covered, and is divided into pavilions and sectors in which material of absolute value is exhibited, including: the faithful reproduction of the Bayard convoy, the train which made the first journey on the first Italian railway route Naples – Portici in 1839; carriage 10 of the Royal Train built by Fiat in 1929 for the wedding of Umberto II of Savoy with Maria Josè of Belgium; various steam, diesel and electric locomotives, models and plastic models including the famous “Trecentotreni”, 18 meters long and more than 2 meters wide, which was built by a former railway worker in over 15 years of patient work.

The visit to the Museum can be made even more pleasant by the possibility of enjoying a break with a sea view in the Caffè Bayard, an elegant cafè made with fine Campania majolica, where you can stop to enjoy a good coffee, a typical sfogliatella or have an aperitif accompanied by other typical products of the territory. Furthermore, in the summer period, a large area outside the café allows for a pleasant break outdoors in the area of a beautiful lemon grove. The museum is right on the sea, near the Vesuvius and with a spectacular view of the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrento Peninsula and the splendid islands of Capri and Ischia. The site is today not only a favorite destination for many tourists every year, but also one of the major event and conference centres in southern Italy. The large rooms can be rented for business or private events.

HOW TO GET HERE

The best way to arrive at the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa is by train. It is possible to choose between a regional train or an heritage train: from the beginning of the journey you are immersed in the wonderful context of the history of the railways. The Museum can be reached by: Metropolitan and regional trains of the Naples-Salerno line, Pietrarsa-San Giorgio a Cremano stop; the journey time from Naples Piazza Garibaldi station to the Museum is only 15 minutes. Heritage train Pietrarsa Express, which departs from the centre of Naples and arrives right at Pietrarsa. Tickets can be purchased on all Trenitalia sales channels: station ticket offices, self-service ticket points, the Trenitalia App, travel agencies, and on the website www.trenitalia.com.

EXPERIENCES AND ATTRACTIONS

Guided tour inside the pavilions of the Museum with a tour guide who allows you to retrace the history of the place, from the Bourbon factory to the National Railway Museum.

Virtual Tour in augmented reality, to relive the journey of the Bayard locomotive on the first Italian railway line, the Naples – Portici route. The Virtual Tour is projected directly on the locomotive and the carriages of the train whit which the history of Italian railways began, on October 3, 1839.

Driving simulator that gives the visitors the opportunity to live the experience of driving an heritage train and step into the shoes of a train engineer, on board of a real Littorina.

Journey on the heritage train Pietrarsa Express, on carriages from the 30s and the 50s, from Napoli Centrale to Pietrarsa, also enjoying a visit to the Railway Museum, to live an even more evocative experience that takes the visitor back in time.