The Orbetello Scalo - Porto Santo Stefano railway line was inaugurated on 17 December 1913. The line, operated by Società Nazionale Ferrovie e Tramvie of Rome, was served by a little steam train which set off from a prefabricated station erected a few hundred metres from the national railways’ station of Orbetello Scalo, proceeded along the western lagoon through the town of Orbetello, crossed over the dike and, flanking the lagoon and the sea of the Argentario peninsula once again, ran through a series of tunnels to Porto Santo Stefano.
The train affectionately known as “Baccarini” or “The Coffeepot” ran for about thirty years, setting the pace of daily life for the inhabitants of two of the most important towns on what is now known as the “Costa d’Argento” (the Silver Coast) who had joined forces to obtain its construction. The train was forced to cease service in March 1944 due to bombing by Allied aircraft that brought death and destruction to the whole area, particularly to Porto Santo Stefano, which was home to the headquarters of this section of railway line.
Subsequent attempts to revive the destroyed railway line were unsuccessful, and with time it became only a vague memory. The railway was operated by SNFT, a company that was incorporated by the FNM Group along with all its real estate assets in 1993.