SR_FW2019-20

The National Railway Museum in Pietrarsa
by Luigi Cantamessa
General Director FS Italiane Foundation
Located in the Portici area, between
the Gulf of Naples and Mount
Vesuvius, the Museum tells the
170 year-old story of the Italian
Railways, and presents us with a
fascinating journey through time
among the engines and trains
which have united Italy from
1839 to the present day. It took
shape after painstaking restorative
conservation efforts on one of Italy’s
most important industrial archeological complexes,
the “Reale Opificio Meccanico, Pirotecnico per le
Locomotive” which was founded by Ferdinando II
of the Two Sicilies in 1840. The railway workshop in
Pietrarsa was repairing steam engines until the mid
1970s however the full adoption of electric traction
led to its decline and it was earmarked to become a
rail museum in 1977. In 1980 structural adjustments
were started in conformance with its new function
and on the 7 th October in conjunction with the 150 th
anniversary of the Napoli/Portici Line, the Museum
was opened to the public.
In 2013 when the Museum became one of the
Foundation’s historical assets a plan to relaunch
and enhance the museum and restructure the site
was launched. The extensive restoration project,
which the Foundation was able to begin thanks to
the support of the FS Group, saw technically and
structurally radical interventions being carried out
over the entire site, from the architecturally imposing
pavilions to the outside areas and the cosmetic
restoration of the entire heritage fleet. This renewed
direction has turned Pietrarsa into a contemporary
cultural hub and conference center.
Pietrarsa today has become a unique exhibition site
nationally thanks to its suggestive
environment and the quality of
its exhibits and is one of the most
important railway museums in
Europe.
It extends over 36.000 square
metres, 14.000 of which are
covered. The collections are
exhibited in the original Borbonic
workshop pavilions which once
housed the units specialised in the
assembly, dismantling and repairing of steam engines
and rail vehicles.
Services and new technologies have been given
particular attention and a spacious cinema and
conference center with state-of-the-art equipment
were created. The past however rubs shoulders
with the present at Pietrarsa and the use of new
technologies will be increasingly relied upon to
enhance the enjoyment of the collection. One of the
first examples of enjoyment enhancing interactive
technology was created around the original Bayard
model. A hi-tech multimedia AR system was installed
which, thanks to 3D projectors, allows visitors to
this historical engine to go on a sensorial journey
back in time to earlier days in Italian rail history.
This project will shortly be replicated in other areas
of the Museum turning the visitors’ itineraries into
suggestive multimedia experiences.
Thanks to these interventions the Pietrarsa Museum
has today become one of Southern Italy’s most
important convention centers and is set to become
one of the jewels in the crown of the renowned
“Golden Mile” cultural itinerary which includes the
Vesuvian villas, the Royal Palace of Portici and many
other wonderful local beauty spots.