The Railway of Wonders: Cuneo-Nizza/Ventimiglia Line's History and Future

The Cuneo-Nizza/Ventimiglia railway, named one of the world's most beautiful railways by German magazine Hörzu in 2016, is a feat of engineering traversing the Vermenagna and Roya valleys. Its construction began in 1883, delayed by political shifts and World War I, and was finally inaugurated on October 30, 1928. The line was heavily damaged during World War II and only fully restored in October 1979 after a 1970 Franco-Italian agreement. The railway connects cultural heritage sites including the Valle delle Meraviglie archaeological site with over 40,000 rock engravings, the 15th-century frescoes of Notre Dame des Fontaines (the 'Sistine Chapel of the Alps'), and Pinocchio murals in Vernante by illustrator Attilio Mussino. It also links the ski resort of Limone to the beaches of the French Riviera via the Mercantour and Alpi Marittime parks. The line remains fragile and at risk of suppression; Fondazione FS Italiane's 'Binari senza tempo' initiative aims to revitalize it through slow tourism.