Italy built its railway network in the late 19th and early 20th century to connect the most inaccessible mountain villages and the most economically marginal areas. Many of these lines — the Calabro Lucana network through the southern Apennines, the Valnerina line through the Umbrian gorges, the Sila mountain tramway — were progressive engineering achievements at construction and economic failures within decades, abandoned as road infrastructure made them redundant. The Ferrovie Dimenticate (Forgotten Railways) project has catalogued over 6,000 km of abandoned Italian rail infrastructure; a growing number of corridors are being converted to walking and cycling greenways. This guide covers the most significant abandoned Italian rail lines, their histories, and their current recreational status. Umbria guide
Plan my Italy trip →Catalogued abandoned corridors: approximately 6,000 km (Ferrovie Dimenticate project) | Greenway conversions completed or underway: approximately 800 km | Most important abandoned lines: Ferrovia Calabro Lucana (southern Apennines), Ferrovia della Valnerina (Umbria), Sila mountain tramway (Calabria) | Key resource: ferroviedimenticate.it
The Italian railway network was built in two distinct waves: the 1860s–1880s main line construction (the Torino-Genova-Pisa-Roma and Torino-Milano-Venezia axes) and the 1890s–1930s capillary network construction (the secondary and tertiary lines penetrating the interior mountains, connecting the Apennine villages, and serving the agricultural and mining economies of the South). The second wave was driven partly by genuine economic logic and partly by political pressure — rural constituencies demanded railway connections as a symbol of integration into the national economy, and the liberal and then fascist governments obliged. Many of these secondary lines were loss-making from their first years of operation — the population they served was too small, the terrain too difficult, the operating costs too high. Automobile and road haulage development in the 1950s–1970s made the lines redundant; closures accelerated from the 1960s onward.
The result: approximately 6,000 km of abandoned rail corridors across Italy, many running through spectacular landscape that the original engineers accessed specifically because of its engineering challenge — deep gorges, high mountain traverses, coastal cliff routes. The Ferrovie Dimenticate association has catalogued all known abandoned corridors and advocates for their conversion to greenways (cycling and walking trails).
The Ferrovia Calabro Lucana was a narrow-gauge network (950 mm gauge) connecting the remote villages of Calabria and Basilicata across the southern Apennines — approximately 740 km of total track at its peak, running through extraordinarily difficult terrain with numerous tunnels, viaducts, and spiral loops. The network was built between 1915 and 1954 and began closing sections in the 1970s; by the early 2000s most routes had closed. Two sections remain operational as a tourist railway: the Cosenza–San Giovanni in Fiore line and parts of the Sila network. The remainder of the network is abandoned but much of the track and infrastructure remains physically in place — the corrugated iron stations, the stone viaducts, the tunnels. The Calabro Lucana is the largest surviving example of early 20th-century narrow-gauge mountain railway engineering in Italy.
The ghost station villages: several villages along the former FCL route lost their connection to the outside world when the railway closed — they had been built around the station rather than on a road. Some of these villages were subsequently abandoned (part of the broader depopulation of the southern Apennine interior). Walking or driving to find the former FCL station buildings in these villages is the specific activity of the railway archaeology enthusiast. Calabria guide
The Ferrovia della Valnerina connected Terni to Norcia via the Nera river gorge — one of the most scenically dramatic rail corridors in central Italy, running for 58 km through tunnels and along cliff ledges above the Nera river. Built between 1916 and 1927, the line closed in 1968. The track has been removed but the infrastructure — tunnels, viaducts, the stone station buildings at Scheggino, Castel San Felice, and Triponzo — remains largely intact. The Ciclovia dei Borghi e della Natura project is converting portions of the Valnerina corridor to a cycling greenway; sections are accessible now and the route passes through the same Valnerina landscape that the Cascata delle Marmore (30 km north) and Spoleto (40 km north) make accessible as touring destinations.
Ferroviedimenticate.it is the primary resource — the association has mapped approximately 6,000 km of abandoned corridors with access information, current condition reports, and links to greenway projects. The Ciclovia dell'Acquedotto Pugliese (built on a former narrow-gauge infrastructure in Puglia, approximately 500 km through the Murge plateau) is the most developed and best-maintained Italian railway greenway currently. The Via Francigena Ciclabile incorporates former railway corridors in several sections. For spontaneous exploration: the Calabria, Basilicata, and Molise abandoned corridors are the most physically dramatic but the least developed for recreational access; a 4WD vehicle and willingness to walk are required.
The most scenic abandoned railways in Italy: the Ferrovia della Valnerina (Nera gorge, Umbria — tunnels and cliff ledges above the river); the Ferrovia Calabro Lucana (southern Apennines — narrow-gauge mountain network, spiral loops, stone viaducts); the Ferrovia del Lago (Como lakefront abandoned sections — some tunnels accessible on foot); the Ferrovia del Ponente (Ligurian coast near San Remo, converted to the most popular cycling greenway in Italy, the Pista Ciclabile della Riviera dei Fiori — 24 km former rail corridor); and the Sila mountain tramway sections in Calabria.
The Pista Ciclabile della Riviera dei Fiori (San Remo to Ospedaletti, Liguria) is a 24 km cycling greenway built on the former coastal railway corridor — the most popular cycling path in Italy in terms of annual users. The route runs along the Ligurian Riviera sea edge, through former rail tunnels (some lit, some equipped as cycling infrastructure), with sea views for most of the route. The surface is paved, fully accessible, and suitable for all fitness levels. It has been extended with further coastal cycling segments; the full Ciclovia del Ponente project eventually aims to connect San Remo to Ventimiglia (French border) and beyond. This is not an abandoned railway exploration — it is polished tourism infrastructure on former rail land.
Ferrovie Dimenticate (Forgotten Railways) is an Italian non-profit association that has catalogued approximately 6,000 km of abandoned railway corridors across Italy, documents their historical and architectural significance, and advocates for their conversion to greenways, heritage railways, or protected rail archaeology sites. The association's website (ferroviedimenticate.it) has the most complete database of Italian abandoned railway corridors with maps, historical information, and current access status. Members conduct field surveys and document the condition of stations, viaducts, tunnels, and track before demolition or conversion.
Yes. Italy has several active heritage tourist railways: the Ferrovia della Val d'Orcia (the Treno Natura seasonal tourist train through the Siena province landscape, running weekends March–October); the Trenino Verde della Sardegna (multiple narrow-gauge heritage lines across Sardinia, seasonal operation); sections of the Ferrovia Calabro Lucana (Cosenza–San Giovanni in Fiore, operational); the Ferrovia Gargnano–Torbole proposed heritage restoration on Lake Garda (ongoing project). The Treno Natura in Tuscany is the most accessible and most commercially developed; tickets bookable at ferrovienatura.it.
Former railway greenways + Valnerina gorge + Calabria mountain villages — Italy's lost infrastructure found as scenic routes.
Plan my Italy cycling trip →Yes — the Pista Ciclabile della Riviera dei Fiori (Taggia to Ospedaletti, western Liguria) is a 24 km cycling greenway on the former coastal railway corridor between San Remo and the French border zone, the most popular cycling path in Italy. The route runs through lit former rail tunnels along the Ligurian sea edge, entirely paved and suitable for all fitness levels. The former Ponente railway line was electrified and ran from Ventimiglia to Genova; the coastal section has been decommissioned progressively since the 1970s as the inland high-speed rail replaced it. Extensions of the cycling path eastward from San Remo toward Albenga are planned. Bike rental available at multiple points along the route; free access.
The Treno Natura (Nature Train) is a seasonal tourist railway running on the scenic Val d'Orcia and Crete Senesi routes in Siena province, using restored 1930s–1940s steam and diesel locomotives with period-correct carriages. The train runs on selected Sundays March through October from Siena station, with itineraries varying by season: spring routes through the wheat and poppy fields (April–May); autumn routes through the vine and truffle landscape (September–October); and the specific winter route (January–February) through the frost-covered Crete Senesi. Ticket booking at ferrovienatura.it; prices approximately €15–25 per person. The Treno Natura is one of the most atmospheric ways to experience the Val d'Orcia landscape that the road-based tourist circuit can access only partially.
The former Ferrovia del Lago di Como had two lakeside routes: the eastern shore line (Lecco-Colico) which remains operational, and the western shore line (Como-Colico via the lakefront villages) which has been partially closed and converted. The Greenway del Lago di Como (a walking and cycling route on the Como western shore) uses former railway infrastructure for some sections. The disused tunnels along the Lario lakefront — particularly north of Menaggio — are accessible on foot and give lake views not visible from the modern road. The Ferrovia del Lago project to document and convert the remaining disused Lario infrastructure is ongoing; current access varies by section.
Sections of the former Ferrovia della Valnerina (Terni-Norcia, 58 km, closed 1968) are walkable and cyclable on the existing trackbed, though the conversion to a formal greenway is partial. The most accessible sections: between Scheggino and Triponzo (approximately 12 km), where the trackbed remains largely intact alongside the Nera river and the tunnels are in good condition. The Ciclovia dei Borghi e della Natura project includes portions of this route in its planned Umbrian greenway network. Check with the Parco Fluviale del Nera (the river park authority) for current access status. The route passes the Cascata delle Marmore (7 km north of Terni) and the Valnerina villages; combining with a Cascata visit makes an excellent Umbria cycling day.
The most scenic active train journeys in Italy: the Bernina Express (Chur to Tirano, crossing the Bernina Pass via the Rhaetian Railway, UNESCO World Heritage — but this runs from Switzerland into Valtellina rather than being purely Italian); the Domodossola-Locarno Centovalli Railway (through the Val Vigezzo, entirely in Italy/Switzerland, extraordinarily scenic valley narrow-gauge route); the Circumetnea (the narrow-gauge line circling the base of Mount Etna in Sicily, 110 km, partially accessible for segments); and the Sacro Monte–Orta funicular (not a long journey but a highly atmospheric short route). For scenic Italian train journeys on the main network: the Florence–La Spezia via Garfagnana line through the Apuan Alps; the Bolzano–Merano line through the Adige valley vineyards; and the Naples–Reggio Calabria via the Tyrrhenian coast.