Franz Kafka and the curious journey on the Menaggio-Porlezza railway.

In September 1911, Franz Kafka was in Italy for a short stay. While on Lake Como, he came across a railway experience that was as unusual as it was memorable: the trip on the Menaggio-Porlezza railway. This railroad section, now forgotten by many but preserved in the memory of enthusiasts, ran for just 13 kilometers through mountains, valleys and alpine bodies of water, connecting Lake Como with Lake Lugano.

The railway, which opened in 1884, was built in narrow gauge (850 mm): a necessary technical choice to deal with the tight curves and steep inclines typical of mountainous terrain. But what made the course truly extraordinary was the adoption of the recourse system, a rare method in Italy that allowed the train to gain altitude by reversing by means of a turntable.

Kafka was fascinated by it. In a letter from the period, he wrote about how the train seemed "going backward instead of forward", turning a banal journey into a small existential metaphor. The paradox of moving in a direction seemingly contrary to one's purpose could not but strike a writer like him, prone to absurdity and deep reflection on the meaning of movement and action.

Today, of the Menaggio-Porlezza railway there remain the bicycle and pedestrian paths, the old converted stations, and a interactive exhibition at the Sanagra Valley Museum. Those who decide to travel the ancient track can still imagine Kafka sitting by the window as the alpine landscape flows backward and the locomotive makes its regress to the top.