Vapore Toscana
Some pictures of two trips on the Nature Train in southern Tuscany. This is a unique mainline steam experience.
Based in Siena, it runs through breathtaking classical Tuscan scenery ("Crete Senesi", the weird Sienese clay hills) along the abandoned
Val d 'Orcia railway line and/or on the line from Siena to Grosseto via Monte Antico. Tuscan hilltop towns dot the scenery.
Engines are relatively large, including some from over a century ago, with classical Centoporte carriages. It runs mainly in summer
until Christmas, focusing on local events such as the White Truffle Festival in San Giovanni d'Asso or the Olive Oil Fair in San
Quirico d'Orcia. Surprisingly there are very little steam enthusiasts on these excursions, the audience being made up chiefly of
Italian families just waiting to get on the bus on the way to the pranzo locale and market featuring prodotti tipici. The 8 Dec trip
is unique because it includes a long steam run into Firenze S.M.N. via the Siena-Empoli-Firenze line at speeds up to 100 km/h
in the dark, while all the excursion crowds have already left in Siena. In other words, highly recommended.
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899_3915.JPG (182914 bytes) trolleys at the airport
899_3958.JPG (174253 bytes) Firenze SMN