General Director – Fondazione FS Italiane
An engineer and experienced manager in the transport sector, Luigi Cantamessa has been the General Director of the Fondazione FS Italiane since 2013 and the CEO of FS Treni Turistici Italiani since June 2023.
Originally from Bergamo, born in Trescore Balneario, Luigi Cantamessa graduated in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Transport from the Politecnico di Milano. He obtained a Master’s degree in Economics and Management of Transport, Logistics, and Infrastructure from the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan and earned his professional qualification in 2003.
Since 2009, he has been in Rome working in the External Relations Central Directorate of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. Two years later, he was entrusted with the Central Strategy and Planning Directorate, a role that led him to oversee the planning of a new foundation to preserve the historical, technical, architectural, and industrial heritage of Italian Railways. In 2013, Luigi Cantamessa was appointed General Director of the Fondazione FS Italiane, a position he still holds today. Among the many projects under his leadership is “Binari senza tempo,” through which approximately 1,000 kilometers of historical railway lines, previously closed or abandoned, were reopened between 2014 and 2023. Numerous initiatives dedicated to historical and tourist trains were also launched. Under his guidance, the Fondazione FS revitalized the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa, for which he was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. For his dedication to the preservation of the national railway heritage, he was later honored with the title of Commander.
Since 2018, Luigi Cantamessa has been an Honorary Citizen of Varallo Sesia (VC) and Lioni (AV), thanks to his contributions to the preservation of the Novara-Varallo Sesia and Avellino-Rocchetta railway lines, which were at risk of closure. Since June 2023, he has been the CEO of FS Treni Turistici Italiani. In November, he also assumed the role of Head of Business Development Tourism for Trenitalia Spa. Luigi Cantamessa is a member of the Executive Committee of Federturismo-Confindustria.