The Italian railways (1839-2019)

Preface to the English edition
Introduction
I. Railways and the Risorgimento
1. Transport in the early 19th century
2. “The spirit of Italian nationality”
3. The arrival of “steam trains” in the preunificationstates
4. The train service
5. Soldiers on the trains
II. A national “network”
1. The era of big building works
2. Secondary railways and tramways
3. Economic progress
4. The modernization of cities and countryside
5. Traveling in united Italy
III. The state and railways
1. The “law of the big groups” (1865) and the“parliamentary revolution” (1876)
2. The “agreements” (1885)
3. Riccardo Bianchi and the state company(1905)
4. The Great War
5. Railway workers between trade unions andpolitics
IV. The “trains on time” during the fascistperiod
1. Purging and restructuring
2. Traffic growth and road competition
3. Electric trains and “littorine”
4. The “direttissime”
5. The “popular trains”
V. Reconstruction and the “Settebello”
1. Between mines and bombs
2. It’s time to travel again
3. The “luxury” train
4. The “transportation for the poor”
5. Loss of traffic and technological lag
VI. End of the “old” and arrival of the “new”railway
1. The “direttissima” Rome-Florence
2. The “railway renaissance”
3. The return of private management
4. Liberalization of train services
5. Trains and railways for the 21st century,towards Europe
Index of names