Lampo, The Dog That Traveled Through Italy By Train
If you drop by the station in the town of Campiglia Marittima, in Tuscany, you will find a curious statue. The sculpture represents a beautiful white dog, who gracefully raises his paw as if he were greeting us. The dog that the monument honors existed; he was named Lampo (“lightning” in Italian) and was greatly known for his ability to navigate the Italian railway network, since he knew the train schedules perfectly and always returned home.
Are you curious? Join us through this beautiful story and meet Lampo, the “railway dog”.
It appeared numerous times in the press of the time, and it was no wonder. Italy was fascinated with this dog who was able to find his way around the country’s extensive railway network and who always, without exception, returned to his house. His fame earned him the appointment of mascot of the Italian railway, and many passengers approached him during their journeys to pet him and take photos with him.
The dog that came by train
In the summer of 1953, Elvio Barlettani, station master at Campiglia Marittima, in Tuscany, saw a beautiful white dog with brown spots getting off a freight train With great curiosity, Barlettani waited to see what the animal was doing and, to his surprise, it approached in a friendly manner, wagging its tail, looking for a pet. Touched, and at the insistence of his daughter Mirna, the Barlettani family adopted the dog and named him Lampo, which in Italian means flash of lightning either flash.
Lampo was not a dog like the others. He didn’t stay at home, waiting patiently for his owners to return from work or school. Restless and extremely intelligent, Lampo soon began to accompany little Mirna on her train trips, since the girl was studying at a school in a nearby town. Always faithful, Lampo would go with her in the morning and wait until Mirna left school Then, they both took the train and returned to Campiglia.
Soon, Lampo’s wanderlust was not satisfied with short trips to school. Astonished, the Barlettani family watched how the dog took different trains to different destinations every day, and how he always, without exception, managed to return home. It seemed as if Lampo had memorized the times and directions of the convoys, although no one knew or could explain how.
The animal began to be known as “the railway dog.” The line workers were used to finding it in the cars, where Lampo moved like a fish in water, greeting those who wanted to approach and observing the evolution of the landscape through the window. The public was fascinated by the dog, and many passengers took photos with him, amazed by the animal’s intelligence and charm.
However, Lampo’s adventures were not liked by everyone. The rules regarding the transportation of animals were strict, since they were not allowed under any circumstances to travel on board the trains. Discontent increased when, due to an incident (Lampo was trapped in the door of a carriage), the departure of the train was delayed for hours. Then, the railway management decided to take action on the matter and asked Elvio Barlettani to get rid of the dog.
Always back home
Saddened, Barlettani had to give up. He sent Lampo to Naples, but, against all odds, the intelligent animal knew which trains to take to return home. They then tried to send him further away and leave him in the care of an acquaintance of Elvio, but Lampo managed to return again. Surprised, the railroad directors had no choice but to accept the presence of the dog on the trains.
The animal spent eight years traveling through Italy Very often, the train workers would call Elvio to tell him that they had seen his dog and if he wanted to be sent back. Amused, Barlettani told them that it was not necessary, since Lampo was intelligent enough to find his way back. And, indeed, that was the case. The dog always came home, no matter how far away he was.
The case of the “railway dog” went around the world, and the press took a keen interest in it. He was the star of the magazine cover Look & Learn, where illustrator James McConnell captured the moment when Lampo boarded a train to the surprise and anger of a station master. The reality is that everyone was delighted with the traveling dog.
A life by and for trains
The end of the “railway dog” is curiously and sadly linked to his “passion” for trains. And Lampo died on the night of July 22, when he was hit by a train that was performing maneuvers. Lampo knew the schedules and the movement of the trains, but he could not foresee a nighttime activity that was not on the calendar.
Lampo was honored as a true symbol. After his death, a statue was erected in his honor at the station that served as his home, which can still be contemplated and which can go unnoticed by those who do not know the story. In it, a stone Lampo raises its right paw to greet us, while, at its feet, rest a station master’s cap and a signaling disc. What many people may not know is that, beneath the monument, rests the real Lampo, the unforgettable traveling dog.
