Former STAC: The Old Tram Station

Today, an elegant exhibition space in the heart of Catanzaro, the Ex STAC (Tramway and Motor Station of Catanzaro) is one of the symbolic places in the history of the city's urban mobility. The building, dating back to 1901, was designed by the Tramway and Motor-Funicular Anonymous Company of Catanzaro and inaugurated in 1910 as a pivotal point of connection between the Sala railway station and the city center. The original route included a section on a funicular, necessary to overcome the steep gradient between the Fiumarella stream valley and the hill on which the historic center extends. This system was a pioneering work for the time, and in 1914 it was further expanded with a direct line to the northern district of Pontegrande, contributing to the urban development of the city. However, the experience of rail transport had a limited duration. The increasing spread of road transport and a serious accident along the funicular line led to the definitive closure of the company in 1954. For decades, the infrastructure remained inactive until, in 1998, a new funicular system was built, modern and partially inspired by the original one, which still connects Sala to the city center today. The ancient building of the tramway station in Piazza Matteotti has thus found a second life: today it houses an exhibition hall, giving back to the public a space full of urban memory and transforming it into a place of culture and meeting, perfectly integrated into contemporary city life.