The Sorrento Funicular was a steam-driven, inclined rail system located in the commune of

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana ra ...

, within the Municipality of Naples, Italy — connecting its upper terminus at Sorrento's Hotel Vittoria to the resort's port, several hundred feet below on the

Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy (province of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It i ...

. The system was designed by Italian engineer Alessandro Ferretti (1851 - 1930), began operating in 1883 and stopped operating approximately three years later. Using only a single passenger car, the system was a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

in name only, as a funicular by definition counterbalances two cars attached to opposite ends of the same pully-driven cable, operating in concert.

History

The rail system partially used a tunnel cut into the

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertin ...

stone of Sorrento's cliffs by the Romans, precisely to connect the ''Marina Piccola'' (''small marina'') area with the upper town. The inaugural run took place on March 5, 1893. The funicular was 260 meters long, with 170 meters inside the Roman tunnel and the remaining section, outdoors. Running on a track with a 15% slope, the single passenger car held 12 passengers and was driven by a steam engine making 8 HP, enough to also power Hotel Vittoria's electric lighting. Fares uphill were 20 cents per person in 1st class and 15 cents per person in 2nd class. Descent fares were 15 cents per person in 1st class and 10 cents in 2nd class. In 1894 the Municipality of Sorrento entered into negotiations with the owners of the hotel to make the system public, in advance of a large number of tourists expected for the upcoming 400th anniversary marking the death of Sorrento-born poet

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

— in 1885. Complicating matters, during the summer, the steam-driven machinery required 12 cubic meters of water daily, exceeding available supplies either in nearby cisterns or in Sorrento's

Valle dei Mulini Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina *University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colombia ...

(Valley of Mills). The system found its water supply when it was discovered that water stored in the Spasiano cisterns, intended for drinking water, wasn't

potable Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...

. Additionally, by 1898, the owners of Hotel Vittoria had noted complaints by the hotel's exclusive clientele who appreciated neither the loud operation of the funicular nor the traffic through the hotel of passengers who weren't hotel guests. The funicular was quickly rendered obsolete by the newly constructed adjacent road and the hotel's own newly constructed elevator to the port.

References

External links

Official site of the Metropolitana di Naples

Railways and metro station of Naples
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorrento Funicular Transport in Naples Railway lines in Campania Funicular railways in Italy Railway lines opened in 1883 Subterranean funiculars

History

See also

References

External links