More than a rail

From the Turin International Book Fair to photographs by Richard Avedon, from the music of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia to the Rome Film Festival. Not forgetting the great Italian passion for soccer with the women’s Coppa Italia FS Italiane. FS Group's commitment to culture, society and sports is varied and constant, and it goes far beyond the endless miles of rail track it weaves over Italian soil and with which it ensures the circulation of people, ideas and talent.

After all, since its foundation in 1905, Ferrovie dello Stato–led today by CEO Luigi Ferraris–has been an important element in the unification of Italy and has contributed to its economic, social and cultural growth. And Italy's first electric train, the ETR 200, that paved the way for high speed as early as 1936, then the legendary Settebello in 1953 and the Pendolino in 1976, are dear to the hearts of so many Italians.

Through its numerous partnerships with exhibitions and major Italian museums and collaborations with important cultural entities, FS is committed to its patronage and promotion of Italy's historical, artistic and religious heritage. But it also supports the worlds of music and art, cinema, literature and sports, fostering frequent and extensive networks to connect and enhance Italian landscapes, creativity and beauty. At the Turin Book Fair, the Group renewed its support by also launching the first edition of the literary contest ‘A/R Andata e Racconto. Appunti di viaggio’ (Return ticket Outbound and Storytelling: Travel notes), dedicated to unpublished short stories by debut writers aged 18 and over.

Over two thousand stories were submitted by aspiring authors, with peaks in the last few days of five unpublished works per minute. A river of words with one common thread: travel, declined in its various meanings. The prizes were awarded during the book fair to the four winners, with a tie for third place, and their stories will be published later this year by Edizioni and/or in an anthology consisting of the award-winning stories along with others written by the jury members, writers Enrico Brizzi, Fabio Genovesi, Antonella Lattanzi, Andrea Marcolongo, Matteo Nucci, Antonio Pascale, Lorenza Pieri, and Veronica Raimo.

Recent partnerships with major exhibition venues include the exhibition ‘Richard Avedon. Relationships,’ which, after captivating 75,000 visitors at the Royal Palace in Milan, is on display until July 30 at the Gallery of Modern Art in Palermo. In partnership with the FS Group, it traces the career spanning more than 60 years of the innovative American photographer and portraitist. And Avedon's most iconic shots are also silk-screened on a Trenitalia Intercity connecting Rome to Sicily.

Another important partnership celebrates the new symphonic and chamber music season with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, of which FS is a proud founding member of the Foundation of the same name, set up in 1998. This uninterrupted bond with one of oldest musical institutions in the world reinforces FS’ commitment toward the promotion of Italian cultural heritage.

Besides music, the FS could not fail to offer its support for the seventh art: the FS Group is also an official sponsor of the 17th edition of the Rome Film Festival, during which the ‘FS Audience Award’ went to SHTTL by the Argentinian director, Andy Walter, for best film in the Progressive Cinema Category, voted by viewers. Support for film also through the Premio Film Impresa 2023, which rewards the culture of innovation, best practices and actions to invest in individuals and ideas through the promotion of videos produced by the business community.

Finally, soccer, with the Coppa Italia Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, the result of a collaboration with the FIGC Women's Soccer Division, with the final between Juventus and Roma on June 4, in Salerno. The partnership is a unique opportunity to celebrate sport, the industry's commitment and the bright future of the generation of young women and girls who dream of being professional soccer players.

And if momentary events are not enough, the FS Foundation has created a magical place, suspended between past, present and future, that welcomes visitors all year round–those older and filled with nostalgia and also the very young–to celebrate the story of this Italian miracle of sleepers, technology and speed. This is the Pietrarsa National Railway Museum, a true European and international treasure, overlooking the sea between Naples and Portici, right on the peninsula's first stretch of railroad set between Vesuvius and the Gulf.