1867: The Original Version of One of Italy’s Premier Railway Stations is Opened

May 7, 1867

A railway station in the city of Naples in the Kingdom of Italy was inaugurated. (The Kingdom of Italy existed from 1861 to 1946; it was replaced by the present-day Republic of Italy.) Napoli Centrale (Naples Central Station) was designed by Enrico Alvino (1809-1872).   

This version of Napoli Centrale, which is featured in the accompanying photo taken sometime around 1869 by Achille Mauri (1806-1883), remained in operation for more than nine decades. It was demolished and replaced in 1960. The architects designing the current version of Napoli Centrale included Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979), Luigi Piccinato (1899-1983), Giuseppe Vaccaro (1896-1970), and Bruno Zevi (1918-2000).

Napoli Centrale is the main railway station in Italy’s third largest city. In addition, it is the sixth largest station in all of Italy when it comes to ridership. Napoli Centrale is a link for several rail services that include Circumvesuviana, an 88-mile (142-kilometer)-long railway network in the region; the 127.1-mile (204.6-kilometer)-long Rome-Naples high-speed railway line; and Lines 1 and 2 of the rapid transit system known as the Naples Metro.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For more information on both versions of Napoli Centrale (Naples Central Station), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoli_Centrale_railway_station