Scarica
The National
Railway Museum
of Pietrarsa
This is the place where the history of the Italian railway was born.
On the 3rd of October 1839, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, there was the inauguration of first railway line in Italy. It was 7.411 metres long, and the connection between Naples and Portici, in the same direction of the Napoli-Salerno line, which today coasts the Museum area. The track was made in 11 minutes by two convoys, projected by the engineer Armand Bayard de la Vingtrie, on the English prototype of George Stephenson.
The following year, there was the issue of the Royal Decree for the purchase of a first part of the ground on which the complex of Pietrarsa would have been built, in a place where at the time of Napoleon there was a coastal artillery, defending the roadstead of Naples.
The exposition venue is unique in the whole national panorama, and is one of the most fascinating railway museums, placed, between Naples and Portici, right on the first railway track built in the Peninsula.
Sited between the sea and the Vesuvio, with a breathtaking view on the Gulf of Naples, the museum represents a unicum in Italy, not only for the preciousness of the material here preserved, but also for the beauty of the venue.
It expands on a 36.000 square metres area, part of which is characterized by a wonderful botanic garden, with plants from all over the world.
The collection gathers more than 55 historical rolling stocks, located in the ancient Pavilions of the bourbon workshop, which, back in time, used .to host all the specialized departments of the different making sections of the production cycle.
The visit gives the opportunity of a suggestive journey back in 1839, the year of the inauguration of the first Italian railway line, until more recent times.
From the 19th century to the 80s, locomotives, carriages, tools, models and railway plastic models, become the main protagonists of the museum site.
The Virtual Tour of the mythical Bayard is a multimedia attraction in augmented reality that brings back to life the first Italian locomotive. The projection tells about the birth and the operating of a steam locomotive, and about the birth of the first Italian railway line: Naples - Portici
With a 2500 people capacity in 7 different rooms, together with the convention centre and the outdoor spaces, the National Museum of Pietrarsa is one of the biggest and most important convention centre of the south of Italy.
Being a museum as primary vocation, Pietrarsa is also a cultural pole, where it is not only possible to discover the railway history, but it is also possible to organize events and exhibitions, theatre shows, fashion shows or Christmas markets, that give the opportunity to enjoy the museum in a new way, creating a lot of different occasions for different kinds of audiences.
A lot of events are organized in the open spaces of the museum: the view of the terrace on the Gulf of Naples, the Amphitheatre and the botanical garden create a perfect natural frame.
Also the convention area, the heart of the convention centre, and the exposition rooms, are very fascinating venues: the luxurious architectures of the factory, together with the most modern technological services, makes them perfect places to host high standard business or institutional meetings.
In the ancient Pavilions of the museum, historical locomotives and carriages become the scenography for the numerous collateral events that fill the calendar of the site.
The Museum promotes cultural activities with institutions and associations: special evening openings, theatre-visits, workshops and game-visits for families and children during the weekend, didactic activities, cultural theatre and music festivals, and fairs.