Located between Naples and Portici, the fascinating museum is housed inside one of the most important industrial archaeology sites in Italy: the ancient Bourbon factory where the first steam locomotives on the peninsula were built.
If you love the myth of the Orient Express and the Blue Train celebrated by Agatha Christie, this is the place for you. Nestled between the sea and Vesuvius with a spectacular view of the Gulf of Naples, the museum, among the largest and most important in Europe, extends over an area of 36,000 square meters, part of which is occupied by a wonderful botanical garden with plants from all over the world.
The museum, managed by the Fondazione FS Italiane delle Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, is located inside the Real Opificio Meccanico, Pirotecnico e per le Locomotive di Pietrarsa, founded by King Ferdinand II of Bourbon with the aim of building locomotives, carriages and other elements for the Naples-Portici railway line, the first in Italy.
The National Railway Museum is the founding place of the Italian railway history, testimony of a prestigious industrial archaeology site, a true glory of the then Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Founded in 1840, the factory remained in operation until 1875 and in 1989 it was reopened as the National Railway Museum which today, housed in the perfectly preserved former Bourbon workshops, houses a rich collection of steam, electric and diesel locomotives, passenger carriages, railway models and other memorabilia that tell the story of trains in Italy.
There are seven pavilions to visit, including the first one you encounter after entering the exhibition area from the suggestive Pietrarsa-S. Giorgio a Cremano stop closed by a level crossing, is the one dedicated to Steam Locomotives, the most scenic one.
The hall hosts the famous “Bayard”, named after the engineer Armand Bayard de la Vingtrie who designed it based on the prototype of the Englishman George Stephenson, among the first locomotives to travel the Naples-Portici route, inaugurated on 3 October 1939, which marked the beginning of the long history of railways in our country.
Next, you visit the Pavilion of Carriages and Littorine where you can board the curious carriage used to transport prisoners and admire the sumptuous interiors of the Royal Carriage. Commissioned in the 1920s for the royal family, it fascinates with its refined Art Nouveau interiors and gold leaf ceilings created by the famous architect Giulio Casanova.
The tour continues with the Diesel Locomotive Pavilion, the Cinema Hall, the Workshop Machinery Hall and the Cathedral Pavilion where the models of historic Italian trains are exhibited, such as the working model of the famous Bernina Express, the little red train that travels across the Alps.
A museum where everything is taken care of down to the smallest details. Starting from the beautiful Caffè Bayard where everything is themed, from the Vietri ceramics it is covered in, decorated with images of historic trains, to the coffee machine, also in the shape of a locomotive.
In the summer, a real gem, you can enjoy the outdoor terrace and have an aperitif or a pizza overlooking the Gulf of Naples and the islands of Capri and Ischia.
After the last pavilion, you can admire a beautiful historic cast iron shelter from the early 1900s from the Fiorenzuola d’Arda station and the colossal statue of Ferdinand II of Bourbon, more than 7 meters high, which silently observes the imposing factory that, for its avant-garde nature, even received a visit from the Tsar of Russia Nicholas I who wanted to take Pietrarsa as a model for the Kronstadt railway complex.
Truly wonderful.
The Secret
The museum has been chosen as the set for numerous films and TV series, including “Qui rido io” by Mario Martone, “I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, and “Mare Fuori”.
Useful Info
Museo Nazionale Ferroviario di Pietrarsa
Via Pietrarsa
80146 Napoli
Tel. +39 081 472003
Tickets: from 9 euro, reduced 6 euro
