Description
The Opicina Tramway is the historic tram that climbs from the centre of Trieste up to Villa Opicina, on the Karst plateau, 329 metres above sea level. It is public transport, line 2, but its panoramic route above the gulf also makes it a little outing.
The line is just over 5 km long and has been running since 9 September 1902. It has a feature unique in Europe: a stretch of about 800 metres with gradients of up to 26%, where the tram is pushed by a funicular.
You start from Piazza Oberdan, and as far as Piazza Casali the tram runs on the flat like any other. Then, for the whole climb up Scorcola Hill, the car rests against a pusher car hooked to the cable, which pushes it uphill and holds it back on the way down.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the cable, a second tram comes down from Vetta Scorcola: the two pass each other halfway up. On the funicular stretch the top speed is 10.8 km/h, a pace that leaves you plenty of time to look around.
From Vetta Scorcola the tram carries on alone towards the Karst, on its own very scenic track. The highest point is the Obelisk, at 343 metres, dedicated to Emperor Francis I of Austria: this is where the panoramic walk of the Strada Napoleonica begins.
The line was also built to help the city grow onto Scorcola Hill, which was then reached only by steep, awkward lanes. At first the climb was tackled with a rack railway, on which powerful locomotives pushed the cars. In 1928, with traffic constantly growing, the rack was replaced by the funicular still in use today.
The service cars date from 1935 and 1942. Two trams from 1902, numbers 1 and 6, have been restored as heritage cars: the first green, as it was in the 1920s, the second maroon, with the open ends of the early days.
It is the only line to have survived the closure of Trieste's tram network in 1970, but it has had an eventful life: after a collision between two trams in 2016 it stood still until February 2025.
Don't miss
• The funicular climb up Scorcola Hill.
• The two trams passing each other.
• The view from the Obelisk.
• The Strada Napoleonica.
Did you know?
• The tram has its own Trieste song, “El tram de Opcina”, which cheerfully tells of a real derailment on 10 October 1902.
• In 1906-1907 one of the rack locomotives was lent out to build the Renon railway, above Bolzano.
The line is just over 5 km long and has been running since 9 September 1902. It has a feature unique in Europe: a stretch of about 800 metres with gradients of up to 26%, where the tram is pushed by a funicular.
You start from Piazza Oberdan, and as far as Piazza Casali the tram runs on the flat like any other. Then, for the whole climb up Scorcola Hill, the car rests against a pusher car hooked to the cable, which pushes it uphill and holds it back on the way down.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the cable, a second tram comes down from Vetta Scorcola: the two pass each other halfway up. On the funicular stretch the top speed is 10.8 km/h, a pace that leaves you plenty of time to look around.
From Vetta Scorcola the tram carries on alone towards the Karst, on its own very scenic track. The highest point is the Obelisk, at 343 metres, dedicated to Emperor Francis I of Austria: this is where the panoramic walk of the Strada Napoleonica begins.
The line was also built to help the city grow onto Scorcola Hill, which was then reached only by steep, awkward lanes. At first the climb was tackled with a rack railway, on which powerful locomotives pushed the cars. In 1928, with traffic constantly growing, the rack was replaced by the funicular still in use today.
The service cars date from 1935 and 1942. Two trams from 1902, numbers 1 and 6, have been restored as heritage cars: the first green, as it was in the 1920s, the second maroon, with the open ends of the early days.
It is the only line to have survived the closure of Trieste's tram network in 1970, but it has had an eventful life: after a collision between two trams in 2016 it stood still until February 2025.
Don't miss
• The funicular climb up Scorcola Hill.
• The two trams passing each other.
• The view from the Obelisk.
• The Strada Napoleonica.
Did you know?
• The tram has its own Trieste song, “El tram de Opcina”, which cheerfully tells of a real derailment on 10 October 1902.
• In 1906-1907 one of the rack locomotives was lent out to build the Renon railway, above Bolzano.