In 1839, the first railway in Italy opened between Naples and the town of Portici. Two locomotives were imported from England to inaugurate the new route, while other materials arrived from a small factory near Naples that produced steam engines and ammunition for military use. The Officine di Pietrarsa opened in 1840, initially as a steel mill and as a repair station for the locomotives imported from England. It later became the first Italian factory to produce locomotives in 1845. The factory quickly became the largest industrial center not only…
