The Sulmona-Carpinone Railway of the Parks, the second highest standard-gauge line in Italy, is also known as the "Trans-Siberian Railway of Italy.” It extends for a long stretch above 1,000 meters in altitude, crossing the woods of the Majella National Park and the renowned high plateaus of Abruzzo, which appear in summer as green meadows with grazing animals, while in winter they resemble the white expanses of snow swept by the icy winds of Siberia. Envisioned by the Baccarini Law of 1879, the Sulmona-Carpinone line was activated in two phases, after complex construction works conditioned by the rugged orography of the territory and the lack of roads for transporting materials: in 1892, the Sulmona-Cansano section was opened, and on September 18, 1897, trains reached Carpinone. The line, 118 km long, has a winding and spectacular route, with gradients of up to 28‰: from 328 meters in Sulmona, it climbs to 1,268 meters at the Rivisondoli-Pescocostanzo station (overcoming a difference in altitude of almost 1,000 meters!), descends to 793 meters in Castel di Sangro, rises again to 923 meters in S. Pietro Avellana, and finally descends to 631 meters in Carpinone. Heavily damaged during World War II, it was fully reactivated only in 1960, but passenger numbers soon began to decline due to the long travel times, leading to the suspension of ordinary service between 2010 and 2011.