The story of Lampo is perhaps one of the most fascinating and touching tales you’ll ever come across. This little canine hails from Campiglia Marittima, a picturesque village nestled in the Tuscan region of Italy, and he is renowned for learning to navigate trains and travel throughout the country.
LAMPO’S TRAVELS
It all began on a hot August day in 1953, when Elvio Barlettani was working at the ticket booth of the village train station. A freight train had arrived, and surprisingly, the only passenger who disembarked was a dog with white fur speckled with chestnut spots.
The ticket agent was taken aback by the absence of any other passengers and watched as the dog made its way to the station’s water fountain for a drink. The animal glanced at Elvio, and when he didn’t approach, it was the dog itself who walked over, barking amiably and wagging its tail.
From that day on, the Campiglia station became Lampo’s home, and both Elvio and the other station employees became his friends. They named him “Lampo,” which in Italian means “Flash,” and his life took a remarkable turn. Unexplainably, the dog would accompany Elvio on his daily train journey to Piombino and then return to Campiglia, making the round trip by himself.
The dog even hopped onto trains for one sole purpose: to accompany Elvio’s daughter on her journey to school. Quickly, Lampo became well-known, and travelers from all over came to Campiglia to snap photos of the “traveling dog,” as some newspapers of the time dubbed him.
THE DOG WHO TRAVERSED THE COUNTRY
Over time, Lampo gained more friends at train stations, like the friendly chef on the Turin-Rome Express, who would serve up a delicious feast at three o’clock as it passed through Campiglia.
Even on a starry night, the intrepid canine boarded the Rome-Genoa Express, with its first stop in Livorno, about 70 kilometers north of Campiglia, and returned promptly to fulfill his commitments the next day. No one could fathom how this dog had managed to decipher the schedules and destinations of the trains he rode.
For eight years, Lampo became a familiar figure on the Italian railways. Despite boarding different trains, he always returned to Campiglia and would make his way to Elvio’s office.
Stories tell of sightings of him in Naples, Barletta, and other cities. But one July night in 1961, Lampo’s life tragically came to an end, perhaps struck by one of the trains he had boarded so many times.
It was the station employees who decided that Lampo deserved a special place in Campiglia’s history. Thus, at the very spot where he had left his mark, a monument was erected in his honor, an eternal tribute to the adventurous spirit of a dog who defied conventions and left an indelible mark on the hearts of all those who had the privilege of knowing him.Principio del formulario
