OUR HISTORY
The Beginning
HZERO’S STORY BEGAN IN 1972
The story of HZERO began in 1972, when Giuseppe Paternò Castello di San Giuliano visited a toy store intending to purchase a model car but found himself captivated by a Märklin train instead.
This purchase marked the beginning of the model railway, originally located in the family home in Florence. A passionate aesthete and art lover, Giuseppe di San Giuliano envisioned more than a simple network of tracks—he aimed to create a fully realized landscape where Märklin trains could weave through and come to life.
The first move
BY 1975 THE MODEL RAILWAY HAD GROWN TO COVER 150 SQUARE METERS
The size and delicate nature of this handcrafted masterpiece required its relocation. The project continued to expand in the San Giuliano family’s country home in Val d’Arno, housed within a barn. During this phase, the contribution of Vito D’Amico was particularly significant, as he brought his technical expertise and enthusiasm to the ongoing development of the model railway.
The Scandicci Project
BY THE 2000s ITS GROWING SIZE REQUIRED A NEW HOME
At the turn of the 2000s, the impressive size of the model railway required its relocation to a 400-square-meter hangar in Scandicci, just outside Florence. During this phase, the original layout—centered around the first track circuit purchased in 1972—took on a significant scenic dimension, growing to its current size of 280 square meters.
The project’s organization was further refined under the coordination of Alberto Pero Proietti, with contributions from Beppe Innocenti and model maker Marco Baldi. In keeping with Giuseppe di San Giuliano’s pursuit of beauty, they brought meticulous attention to detail to the layout.
The Idea of a Museum
THE MODEL RAILWAY BEGINS TO ATTRACT PUBLIC ATTENTION.
The model railway began to attract attention, with many people expressing a desire to visit it.
In 2010, the idea of creating a museum around the model railway emerged as a gift from Giuseppe San Giuliano to the city of Florence.
By 2015, the Ariston Cinema, located in the city center just steps from Santa Maria Novella, was identified as the ideal venue. The aim was not only to house the model railway but also to restore this historic cinema—abandoned for many years—for the city.
The Move from Scandicci to the Center of Florence
THE MODEL RAILWAY MAKES ITS WAY TO THE CENTER OF FLORENCE THROUGH A REMARKABLE TRANSPORT OPERATION
Only a high-level engineering operation, overseen by engineer Enrico Sodi, made it possible to execute the complex relocation of the model railway from the hangar in Scandicci to the museum in the center of Florence.
The complexity of the transport stemmed from several specific challenges: cutting the model railway into seven sections while preserving the integrity of each piece; packaging the sections and transporting them, one at a time, to their new destination; and maneuvering the seven sections into the museum and reassembling them with perfect alignment.
To address these challenges, a laser scan survey of the existing wooden structure was conducted. Seven substructures made of laminated timber beams were then created. These rigid frameworks allowed for the safe lifting of the model sections, delicate packing and transport operations, and, upon arrival at the new location, the lifting, movement, and precise reassembly of the sections.
FROM THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF ITS CONTRIBUTORS TO THE VISION OF ITS ORIGINAL CREATOR, THE SAN GIULIANO MODEL RAILWAY IS A WORK OF ART IN CONSTANT EVOLUTION, SUBJECT TO ONGOING UPDATES TO MAINTAIN ITS AESTHETIC AND FUNCTIONAL EXCELLENCE.
Giuseppe Paternò Castello di San Giuliano, the founder of HZERO
Giuseppe Paternò Castello di San Giuliano, the founder of HZERO, was born in Catania in 1933 into a family actively involved in the public life of the Kingdom of Italy. At the age of 20, he moved to Brazil with his family, where he worked in agricultural management on their estate. Over the years, he took on various roles, including branch manager for Olivetti in Rio de Janeiro, dishwasher in a coffee bar in London, and valet and chauffeur for the Bahamas’ Minister of Tourism. He eventually moved to Florence to manage a footwear company. One day, while visiting Harry’s Bar with buyers, he met his cousin Enrico Paternò, who introduced him to a charming young woman having breakfast with some Lord & Taylor clients—she was Fiamma Ferragamo. He married her in 1969, and they had three children: Diego, Giulia, and Maria.
In the 1970s, Giuseppe started an import-export business and became a television executive producer. By the mid-1980s, through Sigma Gi, he entered the wholesale stock clothing trade. In 2000, as CEO and later Chairman of Sigma Gi, he became one of the founding partners of Yoox.com.
Giuseppe was an eclectic figure who pursued many passions, including music, art, gardening, and model railroading. In Sicily, on the family estate, he created one of Italy’s most stunning tropical gardens, now part of the “Grandi Giardini Italiani” network. In Florence, for more than 40 years, he developed one of Europe’s finest model railways, laying the groundwork for the creation of the HZERO museum.
