Visiting Tuscany by Steam Train

Tuscany is the region with the highest number of heritage train services. These aren’t regular rail routes but organised tourist journeys designed to explore the territory or connect towns hosting festivals, food fairs or other special events.
More and more foreign visitors are keen to experience them – including the British, Germans, Americans and Australians – as well as many Italians who find the romance of steam locomotives and vintage wooden carriages irresistible.

In Mugello, steam trains are a regular fixture throughout the year, from October when services run along the Faentina railway line, connecting Florence to Marradi (FI) for the Chestnut Festival, through to December for the Christmas markets of Alto Mugello, and January for Epiphany celebrations in Borgo San Lorenzo.

This is all made possible through a partnership between Trenitalia, which owns the railway lines and carriages, and Italvapore, a volunteer association responsible for maintenance.

In recent years, heritage train services have expanded to include Garfagnana and particularly the Val d’Orcia with the Treno Natura. In the Siena area, day-long trips are organised on steam trains or vintage railcars during special events: the Harvest Train (in October) departs from Siena and travels to Asciano Scalo, including visits to wine cellars and lunch featuring traditional Tuscan farmhouse cuisine. There’s also the Chestnut Train, the Porcini Mushroom Train (arriving at Monte Amiata Scalo station with coach transfers to the Eremo di Vivo d’Orcia), the White Truffle Train (in November) departing from Siena and Grosseto with arrival at San Giovanni d’Asso in the Crete Senesi, and the Oil Train departing from Florence SMN or Siena with arrival at San Quirico d’Orcia (with stops at Poggibonsi, Certaldo, Empoli and Castelfiorentino) in December.

Steam trains in Mugello, from Tuscany to Romagna

From Borgo San Lorenzo, the Faentina line’s most scenic stretch begins, climbing steadily at gradients reaching 26 per thousand in places. Leaving Borgo San Lorenzo station, the train passes through open countryside dotted with wheat, soya and sunflower fields. The scenery becomes increasingly dramatic: ancient vineyards and olive groves, thousand-year-old parish churches, traditional farmhouses and geometric vegetable gardens accompany passengers until Ronta station, the valley’s last settlement before the Apennines.
Here the two “Faentina” routes – the state road and the railway – part ways; the former tackles the Passo della Colla di Casaglia while the railway line penetrates deep into the mountains through an almost continuous succession of tunnels and viaducts. During brief tunnel exits, isolated and wild terrain appears, with chestnut forests giving way to beech woods. You’ll spot footpaths and ancient mule tracks, old ruins and numerous railway cottages.

Shortly after Fornello halt, where there are no houses or roads, the line enters the great Apennine or Allocchi tunnel, which reaches its midpoint – approximately 1,800 metres – at an altitude of 578.38 metres above sea level. The descent towards Romagna then begins, and you’ll encounter Crespino sul Lamone and Marradi stations, the latter the hometown of poet Dino Campana.

Beyond the station – a substantial one with a large plaza and around ten platforms – the line descends towards the Romagna plain. The spectacle is sublime: villas, medieval castles and a landscape transforming from mountainous to gently rolling hills dotted with peach and cherry orchards that become clouds of blossom in spring. The railway then reaches the notable medieval town of Brisighella, and after ten kilometres concludes its journey at Faenza, reconnecting with the Bologna-Ancona coastal line.
In 1921, the Faenza-Russi section was inaugurated, and from that date it has been possible to reach the magnificent city of Ravenna from Faenza station – sometimes without even changing trains – followed by Classe station and the entire Adriatic coast.

Vintage railcars in Siena’s Territories

There are regular services where you travel on vintage railcars with the flexibility to board and alight at multiple stations, with your ticket valid on the Siena railway loop‘s ordinary trains too.
It’s the ideal train for those wanting to visit numerous locations, combining travel with other activities such as trekking, cycling excursions, museum visits or wine and produce tastings at agricultural estates. The journey runs on a vintage steam train, lasts the entire day and has just one departure time.
The train is always linked to a special event, with fairs and celebrations in various towns throughout the province, plus the possibility of coach excursions to locations hosting these events.