Palermo, 15 March 2019
An Open Day is set to promote the 19th-century railway station terminus of the Valley of the Temples tourist line. For the occasion of the Giornate FAI di Primavera (FAI Spring Days), the Fondazione FS Italiane has organised a weekend of celebration in Porto Empedocle this 23 and 24 March.
As of the morning of Saturday 23 March, a historic train will depart from the station of Agrigento Centrale to offer a shuttle service between the capital, the Valley of the Temples and Porto Empedocle. Subsequently, the same convoy will go back and forth between Porto Empedocle and Tempio di Vulcano, for a total of 12 trips each day (8 between Porto Empedocle and the Valley of the Temples and 4 between Agrigento and Porto Empedocle) from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm.
For Sunday, 24 March, there will be 10 round trips, whilst a historic train will depart from Palermo Centrale at 8:00 am, bound for Porto Empedocle and stopping at all intermediate stations (Bagheria 8:16; Termini Imerese 8:40; Roccapalumba 9:18; Cammarata-S. Giovanni Gemini 9:40; Acquaviva – Casteltermini 9:50; Campofranco 10:00; Aragona Caldare 10:49; Agrigento Bassa 11:02; Tempio Vulcano 11:19; Porto Empedocle 11:34).
No ticket is required to travel aboard trains between Agrigento, Porto Empedocle and the Valley of the Temples, however it is necessary to book in advance by sending an email to prenotazioni@fondazionefs.it, specifying the route number chosen from amongst those available on the Foundation’s official website. A confirmation email will then be sent along with a voucher to be shown before climbing aboard (without any guarantee of there being a seat).
At the Porto Empedocle railway park, guided tours will be offered on both days to explore the set-up and particularly the vestiges of the narrow gauge where trains restored by Fondazione FS and others currently being salvaged shall be on display. There will also be model railway exhibitions, videos that share the story of the Sicilian railways, the turning of the restored revolving platform and many other initiatives. The FAI cicerones will take visitors on a journey back in time, traversing more than a century by recounting the history of the set-up from the 19th century to today.
A special area will be dedicated to food stalls, free wine tastings and local products plus exhibitions by artisans showing their creations. The gates of the historic railway station will open from 9:00 am on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March.
The event is organised in collaboration with the associations of Ferrovie Kaos and TrenoDC (affiliated with Fondazione FS), AFS in Messina and FVA in Randazzo.