Vittoriano
“But more than any other administrative reform, the realization of the railways will contribute to consolidating the achievement of national independence”: with these words, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, already in the 1840s, identified the important role of the railways in the process of the Risorgimento for the construction and definition of a free, young, united, and modern nation.
Even before 1861, the history of national unity and the history of Italian railways are virtually inseparable. In line with Cavour's vision, the tracks made political geography concrete, connecting territories divided by centuries of borders, fostering economic and cultural exchange, reducing distances, and creating opportunities for employment and social mobility. Trains and stations also helped to shape a new collective identity, forged by journeys, encounters, commuting, emigration, and returns.
In this centuries-long process, the railways have been a source of inspiration for writers and artists, becoming a powerful metaphor for modernity, speed, and progress, sometimes also of their undeniable contradictions.
This is the framework of the exhibition narrative for Italian Railways (1861-2025). From national unity to the challenges of the future, which traces the important role of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (Italian State Railways) in the process of national unification, combining a rigorous historical structure with the power of art—from De Nittis to Boccioni, from De Chirico up to the most recent contemporary trends—and new technologies. A journey through time to rediscover the very identity of the Country in a new and engaging way.
In line with the most advanced research methodologies, the exhibition narrative, while having a historical basis, features a high degree of interdisciplinarity. Each section is structured across four distinct levels of interpretation, allowing for in-depth analysis and understanding:
• The Railway Network: the technical and managerial history of Italian infrastructure and rolling stock.
• Identity, Institutions, Politics, and Economy: the motivations, strategies, and effects of the choices implemented in relation to the Italian railways.
• Work, Customs, and Society: the impact of the Italian railways on daily life, employment, and the collective behavior of the Nation.
• Art, Music, and Literature: the reflection and interpretation of the Italian railways in the arts, poetry, music, theater, and cinema.
Vittoriano, the symbolic heart of the nation, a place of memory and a monument to Victor Emmanuel II—the first King of Italy—is the setting that best enhances Cavour's powerful legacy and translates it into an exhibition where the railway phenomenon is addressed on multiple, linked, interconnected planes and in continuous dialogue with the graphic display, documents, images, and artworks exhibited to convey the emotional and imaginary dimension of the train journey to the public.
The exhibition, organized and promoted by VIVE - Vittoriano e Palazzo Venezia together with Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, will be hosted in Zanardelli hall of Vittoriano and open to the public from November 7, 2025 to January 11, 2026.
