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Commonly known as Settebello, a name coined by the workers who built it, the seven wagon express electric train 300 (ETR 300) was in operation at the Italian Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato) from 1952 to 1992. A truly unique vehicle, produced only in 3 units by the company Ernesto Breda of Sesto San Giovanni (Milan) with the idea of equipping the State Railways fleet with a product that combined newest technologies with the most futuristic design. With a power output of 2600 kW, more than double that of its predecessor ETR 200, the ETR 300 could easily reach 200 km/h, travelling the entire Milan-Rome route in just 5 hours and 45 minutes, at an average speed of over 110 km/h when the direct Rome-Florence route did not yet exist.
Characterized by the airship silhouettes on the outside, the project was signed by Giò Ponti, Giulio Minoletti and other architects and designers of the time, and included innovative glass walls, more panoramic windows, lounges with mobile armchairs, registered luggage service, restaurant room and large bar. Perhaps the most distinctive elements of the train were the two rounded head coaches, which were designed to include a raised driver's cabins and comfortable lounges for the 11 first class seatsat the bottom.
The 7 carriages of the Settebello were divided into living room compartments, each with 10 seats, with small sofas and swivel armchairs designed by the great Giò Ponti and the architect Giulio Minoletti, together with the furnishings for the luxury restaurant carriage. Each compartment was equipped with luggages compartments hidden behind large decorative panels. In addition, the train was equipped with a radio-telephone service system, lighting with fluorescent lamps and air conditioning system. But the great protagonists of this train iconical Italian design were chairs, armchairs, curtains and upholstery: 1950s elements that still occasionally appear at auction sales and are disputed by collectors and museums - some original partsof the train, for example, can be found at MoMA.
Father of the more modern Pendolino train, which replaced the Settebello on the Rome-Milan line, this extraordinary transortation machine was hijacked first on the rapid line, then depraved of its furnishings and used as a charter train in the 1980s and finally replaced in 1992. Sadly of the three examples originally produced only one ETR 300 - the number 302 - survives today. Until recently the train was abandoned, but we are heartened to know that the myth of the Settebello has not yet waned and that the train will shine again at the behest of the State Railways Foundation.
Today the Settebello is being restored in Voghera, Lombardy, with the great aim to make it a luxury tourist train to circulate on the "timeless tracks" reopened by the Italian Railways Foundation. And if you can't wait to live again the times of the fashion shows on trains and you want to experiece the journeys of the greatest businessmen again, we suggest to buy a ticket for the Arlecchino train, the "little brother" of the Settebello which was built on the occasion of the 1960 Rome Olympics and has already returned in operation after careful restoration.
