Climb aboard history in San Marino

In the 1930s, San Marino connected to the coast with an electric railway. In 1932, the Rimini–San Marino line opened, climbing up to the Republic through tunnels and viaducts. For twelve years, it represented modern progress. A clean link to the outside world, at a time when many trains still ran on coal. Then the war arrived. In 1944, bombings destroyed large sections of the line. The trains stopped. The route was left behind. 

In 2011, the story began again. The Treno Bianco Azzurro Association, with volunteers and local support, chose to bring the railway back in a new way. Today, the old track lives on as a walking and cycling route. It follows the original line and connects parks, green spaces and cultural stops. Along the way, you still see traces of the railway with simple panels that tell the story. 

One highlight is Ca’ Vagnetto Park, where the train once made a dramatic curve through an open gallery. Another is the train itself. Volunteers recovered an original electric car buried for decades in a tunnel and restored it with local craftsmanship. On special days, it returns as a “moving museum”. Visitors can climb aboard and hear the story from the people who saved it. 

A lost railway turned into a shared experience for nature, heritage, and community. Here, every traveller who walks the path, rides the train or shares their story helps sustain this living legacy and encourages a slower, more rooted way to discover San Marino.