Montesanto Funicular, Funicular in Naples, Italy

The Montesanto Funicular is a true funicular: two passenger cars connected by cables run in concert along an inclined railway of 825 metres, climbing 168 metres at an average gradient of 23%. It serves three stations — Morghen, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Montesanto — linking the Vomero hill with the lower city. Each train carries up to 300 passengers.

The line opened on 30 May 1891 after five years of construction, with engineering by Officine Nazionali di Savigliano, which had also worked on the Chiaia Funicular. Steam traction struggled on the steep gradient, so an all-electric system replaced it on 21 June 1901. In 1936 OFM built enclosed coaches to replace the original open carriages.

The line's name comes from the Montesanto district at its lower end, near Piazza Dante. Its upper station on Via Morghen sits a short walk from Piazza Vanvitelli, where riders transfer to Line 1 of the metro and to the Chiaia and Central funiculars. The clocks in the stations were ordered from the Brinkmann clock workshop of Naples, and all surviving examples are still the originals.

Trains run frequently throughout the day, so you rarely wait long for the next one. Make sure to hold on during the ride, as the cable railway climbs a steep slope at a good pace.

The intermediate Sant'Elmo station on via Tito Angelini was approved by the city of Naples on 29 December 2023, a stop awaited for 130 years. Until it opens, the line runs between Morghen, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Montesanto. The funicular's clocks were ordered from the Brinkmann clockmaker's in Naples, and all surviving examples are still the originals.