The helical railway of Capistrello

The Helical Railway of Capistrello, from Avezzano to Roccasecca, is certainly a great masterpiece of railway engineering.
It was carried out between 1877 and 1902, the  latter was the year of the opening ceremony of the last stretch from Balsorano to Avezzano, which had presented a lot of difficulties because of its altitude.

The engineer Ernesto Mangiarotti and the designer architects of the Rete Mediterranea (Mediterranean Rail Network) made out a U-route in spiral way, the gradient of which doesn’t exceed 25 per thousand (reduced to 20 per thousand in tunnels).