At the Centrale Montemartini Museum of Rome, a unique example of re-use cultural heritage of a former industrial plant (as it was the first power station of the city, built in the first years of ’900), it is easy to find surprises sometimes...surprising! So come to visit this wonderful and special museum (here you can read more about it) in Rome, because even a local tour guide like me appreciate the real meaning of this place: the history of the Eternal City is always beautiful, from the past to the present.

For example here, in the former Boiler Room number 2, there is a train! Recently modernized and renovated, this hall houses the Train of Pius IX, a pope who was one of the main protagonists of the history of Rome and Italy in the ’800. If you want here you can read the profile of Pius IX. This pontiff, initially liberal and close to those revolutionary forces which, at the time they wanted to overthrow, in Europe, the old monarchies, it was in some areas strongly progressive. It was he, in fact, the first who would like to reach some of the places controlled by the State of the Church, using the new technology called train and railways to also send a message to the other european kings. To get an idea about how many interventions in this area were commissioned by Pius IX, it is suffice to mention the construction of the first train station, the Termini one, but also the Ostiense Station, or that of the Porta Maggiore (now transformed into crucial to the movement of the tram). Or, for example, always under this pope Rome had many bridges, also in iron (the non-plus ultra for the time), which is also used for the circulation of the trains I am talking about, for example, of the Bridge of the Florentines, Ponte dell'industria, the Magliana Bridge, or the so-called Iron Bridge.

Keep in mind how Pius IX was a Pope who had already given evidence of consideration of rail transport, and we couldn't be surprised if thanks to him Rome, for the first time in history, was connected by train with areas such as Frascati and Civitavecchia, building a rail line used in the city for years. In other words, a simple political will has given birth to this means of transport, consisting of more carriages decorated with paintings and leather elements, in which stands the wagon in the chapel, to the liturgical celebrations. The first wagon, instead, served as a balcony for the blessings, while the second car, which is decorated with fabrics and velvets, was the actual Throne Room, with embroidery, also in iron, and with the use of wrought iron railings to move from one wagon to another. A train that was a source of pride, a absolute modernity for the time, a habit to the pontiff, and the physical manifestation of his kingdom lit and avant-garde. A piece of history that lives on in a museum is really excellent! The Centrale Montemartini Museum of Rome confirms us how special is the Eternal City, and how strong could be, still today, the connections between antiquities and modernity.