Railway Room
Interactive exhibition of the former Menaggio-Porlezza Railway
La Railway Hall hosts an interactive, multimedia installation that evokes the historic Menaggio - Porlezza railway, active from 1884 to 1939. The experience, inspired by the photographic and documentary archives of the railway line, is developed in two sections immersive that allow visitors to relive the atmosphere of yesteryear.
In the first section, a travel simulation transports the public on the famous little train that connected the three lakes-Como, Piano and Lugano-offering a fascinating ride through breathtaking scenery. Obliterating a ticket, visitors can access stories and curiosities related to the different stations of the railway.
La second section offers a reconstruction of a vintage wagon, where looking out the window offers panoramic views and listening to stories and memories of significant events of the past.
A true journey through time, transforming the gallery into a gateway to history, bringing to life a fascinating era and its connections to the land.
Learn more
Watch the video of the installation
Historical Background
A Path through History: from the Menaggio-Porlezza Railway to the Piano Lake Cycleway
The Menaggio-Porlezza Railway, opened on October 8, 1884, was a narrow-gauge line connecting Menaggio, on Lake Como, to Porlezza, on Lake Lugano. With a length of about 12.2 km, the railway ran through picturesque landscapes of the Menaggio Valley, offering passengers picturesque views of mountains and lakes.
Origins and development
The construction of the railway was promoted by the Navigation and Railway Company for Lake Lugano (SNF), established in 1873 with Swiss funding and based in Lugano. The goal was to create an efficient connection between Lake Como and Lake Lugano, facilitating the transportation of goods and passengers between Italy and Switzerland.
Route and technical characteristics
The track began in Menaggio, where the station was located on a narrow strip of land between the main road (Via Regina) and a wall that supported the garden of the Olive Tree Hospice. The limited width allowed space for three tracks and a 80 meters long platform for passengers, accessible directly from the road via a flight of ten steps located at the southern end of the platform. The line ran along the side of Mount Crocetta, overlooking the valley of the Valstera stream at Pastura, and then continued northward.
To overcome the height difference between Menaggio and Cardano, the railway had a gradient of 5% and included a tunnel and several bridges, including a three-arch bridge over the Fontanin stream and iron structures over the Cuccio and Rezzo streams.
The journey offered a singular experience: after departing from the Menaggio station, at the end of the first ascent to Valstera, the train prepared to face the steep gradient thanks to a special maneuver called "recourse": a turntable made it possible to rotate the locomotive and, one at a time, the wagons, reversing the direction of travel before tackling the next section to the Sella di Grandola.
This technique, rare in Italy, also affected Franz Kafka who, during a stay on Lake Como in the 1911, wrote about it with curiosity, describing the particular effect of the train that would go back instead of forward.
Declination and closure
Despite its initial success, the railway began to decline due to increasing competition from road transport and financial difficulties. The last run occurred on October 31, 1939, and the line was never reactivated. Official closure occurred in 1966.
Legacy and current use
Today, part of the old railway track has been transformed into a bicycle and pedestrian path, offering cyclists and hikers the opportunity to cross the Menaggio Valley and the Piano Lake nature reserve, reliving the atmosphere of the past along a route rich in history and natural beauty.
