A journey along the tracks of ancient routes, plunged into the most beautiful Tuscan landscapes
A few historic steam trains continue to travel slowly along ancient routes throughout the whole of Tuscany and make those who obliterate their tickets dream as they turn themselves into travelers of yesteryear. Slower than modern trains, they unchain reveries about who knows how many travelers and how many distant stories they have carried over the years.
In Tuscany, there are several opportunities to live an experience between the present and the past on a historic railroad convoy that runs on ancient tracks, discovering scenic wonders that are difficult to reach by other means.
Otherwise known as the Strada Ferrata dell'Italia Centrale, it was built at the initiative of three entrepreneurs from San Marcello Pistoiese, the Cini brothers who, in the wake of the already expanding rail network throughout Tuscany, proposed their ambitious project to the then Grand Duke, Leopold II. Nearly 100 kilometers long and plunged into the beautiful Apennine landscapes, it was the first railway line at the mountain crossing pass connecting Pistoia with Bologna and was inaugurated by Victor Emmanuel II in 1864 under the name of Porrettana. Today these tracks are traveled by the Porrettana express, a historic train that stops at some fascinating places crossed also by the Romea Strata.
Between San Marcello Pistoiese and the "Santiago minor," Pistoia, also ran the route of the FAP, the Ferrovia Alto-Pistoiese (Alto-Pistoiese Railway), now decommissioned but once of great importance for the development of the area. In place of the railroad, a bicycle-pedestrian path has been established to retrace the steps of the old railroad route, encountering not only the stations but also interesting museums, the land art installations of the "Segnavie" project, and the Antica Ferriera Papini di Maresca, the oldest one in Tuscany.
A charming railway line runs through southern Tuscany. From Asciano, in the Crete Senesi, to Monte Antico in Maremma, through the Unesco hills of Val d'Orcia, the railway winds its way for about 51 kilometers to discover the sinuous lines of the countryside in the area around Siena and in Maremma. Since 1996 used only for tourism, the Treno Natura that runs along these ancient tracks leads not only through the splendid naturalistic views, but also through the flavors and traditions of the territory guarded by the lovely medieval villages that dot the area.
Garfagnana Railway
Garfagnana railway in the vicinity of the Ponte del Diavolo (Devil's Bridge) - Credit:
bluefootedbooby
From Lucca through the emerald green heart of northern Tuscany toward the Lunigiana, the Garfagnana Railway, otherwise called FLA - Ferrovia Lucca Aulla (Lucca Aulla Railway), joins the Pontremolese railway with destination, indeed, Aulla. Inauguration in some sections began in the late 1800s and ended in 1959; the line still traveled by historic trains includes many fascinating Tuscan places such as Equi Terme, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and the ponte della Maddalena in Borgo a Mozzano.
