TESTORI TRAIN
“Treno Testori” was a theatrical performance curated by Casa Testori in collaboration with Trenord.
Eight actors, directed by Andrea Chiodi, performed on two historical train carriages — just like the ones the writer and commuter Giovanni Testori used to take every morning. At the heart of the performance were excerpts from Il Fabbricone, set in the Milan crisscrossed by the Ferrovie Nord railway lines.
The journey took place between the Novate Milanese and Milano Cadorna stations, and back again.
Saturday, May 13, 2023
Departures from Novate Milanese Station: 2:25 PM and 4:25 PM
Departures from Milano Cadorna Station: 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM
The Furious Tenderness of the Testori Train
by Davide Dall’Ombra
It was hard to hold back emotion while seated on the red velvet of those historic carriages. The five hundred fortunate passengers who traveled from Novate Milanese to Milano Cadorna — or vice versa — relived the daily journey of Testori, overcome by his words.
From Il Fabbricone emerged the spirits of Redenta and her brother Gino, of Schieppati and her son Sandrino — deeply human, moving characters brought back to life by young, talented actors: tender and fierce in their voices, untamed yet vulnerable as they walked the corridors like restless souls.
Upon arriving in Novate, following the very tracks painted anew for the occasion, passengers reached Casa Testori, where they could discover the writer of the suburbs through the exhibition Fotoromanzo Testori.
Special thanks to director Andrea Chiodi and all the actors.
Each passenger received a newspaper featuring insights on the train, the director, the young actors, the characters of the novel, and acknowledgments for those who supported this remarkable initiative — especially Trenord, Ferrovie Nord, and the Municipality of Novate Milanese.
Photography by © Gabriele Capelli
