In February, in the video shown during the Olympic opening ceremony, President Mattarella arrived at San Siro on a tram driven by Valentino Rossi.
It wasn’t a vehicle built specifically for the occasion: it was a Carrelli, the same model you might have ridden this morning.
Inside, it feels like 1928. Almost.
Just hop on to realize that this isn’t a tram like any other. The interiors were renovated in the 2000s, but the style has remained true to the era.
The credit goes to the ATM workshops on Via Teodosio, where technicians and carpenters overhaul the cars one by one.
Beneath its vintage exterior, however, lies modern technology: ATM explains that the Carrelli trams are equipped with the most advanced systems, which is how a vehicle that’s nearly a century old still manages to navigate Milan’s traffic.
Yellow? That’s the color the trams were originally painted
When they first debuted, the “Ventotto” (the nickname comes from the year they entered service) were yellow and white. In the 1930s, they switched to green, and in the 1970s to the orange color that many Milanese remember.
Over time, some cars have been restored to their original liveries.
The idea, however, came from the United States. The model was the tram designed by Peter Witt in Cleveland, with the conductor in the middle to speed up stops.
That system lasted only a few years, but the tram has been around for nearly a century.
The records Milan holds (and the ones it doesn’t)
It’s often called “the oldest tram in the world.” That’s not quite true, but its actual record is impressive: according to the Market Street Railway in San Francisco, Milan’s Carrelli trams are the longest-serving trams of that model in the world.
San Francisco, of all places, fell in love with it. In 1984, a Milanese tram participated in the city’s Trolley Festival and was so well-received that, years later, more were purchased.
Even today, they run on Line F along Market Street, alternating with other historic trams from all over the world.
Survivors of the bombs, recreated in Lego
Milan’s old trams have been through a lot. In August 1943, bombing raids struck the Leoncavallo depot, leaving only the wreckage of several cars on the ground.
More recently, a Carrelli was reconstructed using over two thousand LEGO bricks and displayed at the LEGO headquarters in Billund, Denmark.
It’s one of those little-known facts about Milan that few people are aware of.
Where to ride it (or see it parked) this fall
- On Line 1, through December. To celebrate ATM’s 95th anniversary, a Carrelli tram is hosting the exhibition “History Is Worth Its Weight in Gold,” featuring archival photos and posters. The tram operates on its regular schedule, so a standard ticket is all you need.
- At the Science Museum. Since 2024, car 1565, the “Milan 1928 tram,” has been on display in the Railway Pavilion, and you can climb aboard. The address is Via San Vittore 21 (M2 and M4 Sant’Ambrogio). The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on weekends until 6:30 p.m.; current admission prices are listed on the museum’s website.
- Dining. ATMosfera is a restaurant housed in two tram cars, departing from Piazza Castello. It’s open for dinner every evening and for lunch on Sundays; online reservations are required via the ATM website.
In short, the next time the one that makes the most noise of all pulls up at the stop, don’t roll your eyes. It’s the same tram that Mattarella rode.
