A replica of the world-famous Orient Express made its debut journey from Rome on Friday, transporting well-heeled passengers into the heart of Tuscany’s wine region. La Dolce Vita Orient Express, the first Italian-made luxury train, is aimed at reviving the glamour of the classic version as well as the romanticised notion of Italy’s dolce vita, or “sweet life,” all the while promoting slow tourism.
The train, the first of a fleet of six, is made up of 12 refurbished carriages that once chugged along Italian rail tracks in the 1960s and which have been decked out with 18 suites, 12 deluxe cabins, a bar, a lounge, and a restaurant serving haute cuisine by the Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck. A collaboration between Orient Express; Arsenale, an Italian hospitality company; and Italy’s state railways, Ferrovie dello Stato, the maiden voyage, which involves an overnight route called “tastes of Tuscan vineyards,” left Rome’s Ostiense station at about midday on Friday, April 4, 2025.
Rather than having to mingle with longsuffering commuters, deal with any delays, or make do with an espresso and a soggy sandwich from the station’s bar, passengers began their experience in the opulent Dolce Vita lounge, strategically located on the station platform from where their train departed. The itinerary is one of eight that collectively cover 14 Italian regions, from Veneto and Liguria in the north to Basilicata and Sicily in the south.
On Friday afternoon, passengers travelled along the coast, passing the seaside towns of Santa Severa and Santa Marinella before gliding through the countryside of Tuscany, where by early evening they could sip locally made Brunello wine as part of the aperitivo. As an option, they could disembark and be taken to the hilltop town of Montalcino before returning to the Dolce Vita for their evening meal and entertainment. The train, which also passes through Florence and Pisa, completes its loop back to Rome on Saturday morning.
“You eat, you sleep, and you party on board,” said Paolo Barletta, who dreamed up the idea for an experience that combines slow tourism with Italy’s landscape and its diverse regional cuisine. “It’s kind of like the experience of a cruise ship, but instead of being a boat cruise, it’s a rail cruise.”
The first trip sold out, with 38 passengers partaking. Trips are also fully booked for the rest of April and most of May, with itineraries involving Venice, Portofino, Matera, the Unesco-listed town in Basilicata known for its ancient cave dwellings, and Sicily. On a trip scheduled in November, passengers can explore the Monferrato truffle region in Piedmont while tasting said truffles and drinking barolo wine.
The vast majority of those who have booked so far are Americans, followed by Europeans and visitors from the Middle East. Needless to say, a voyage on the Dolce Vita does not come cheap, with prices starting at €3,500 (£2,982). By comparison, a one-way trip from Rome to Pisa on a standard Italian fast train will cost about €45 (£38), even cheaper if you book early. For those wanting to replicate the Dolce Vita feeling, the onboard bar sells half-bottles of prosecco for €12 (£10).
Barletta said the Dolce Vita experience is not just the preserve of the super-rich. “A lot of people are booking for the one-time experience,” he said. “Perhaps they are retired and want to spend some of their retirement savings doing something special, or it is an anniversary, or they are celebrating a wedding. It’s not only about experiencing the train … people really want to see Italy, and in a slow, relaxed way. The Dolce Vita won’t just take them to famous places like Venice, but also areas that are less well-known, for example Abruzzo.”
In addition to the luxurious train experience, Italy will offer a special rail service this Easter with the return of the Sicilia Express, a sleeper train that links the northern city of Turin with the island of Sicily. The aim of the direct service, which debuted last Christmas and sold out in a few hours, is to give Sicilians based in the north a low-cost way to travel home for Easter, providing an alternative to flights that can be very expensive during holiday periods.
As part of the increased Sicilia Express offer, there is a new train-ferry service via Naples, as well as an integrated bus connection to Turin for those living in the northern Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions. There are more than 1,000 seats available in total: 560 for the Sicilia Express and 472 tickets for the "intermodal" offer, a result of a collaboration between the Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV) ferry company and rail provider Italo.
"We have kept our promise," said Sicily region president Renato Schifani. "After the great success of Christmas, we have chosen to continue to support all those Sicilian students and workers living outside the island who wish to return home for the holidays." The 18-hour train service, organised by Italy's FS Treni Turistici, will leave Turin on April 17 and return from Messina after the Easter holidays on April 26, 2025.
The train will depart from Turin Porta Nuova at 12:30 on April 17, 2025, and will stop at Milan Porta Garibaldi (14:10), Parma (15:42), Modena (16:20), Bologna Centrale (16:55), Florence Santa Maria Novella (18:13), Rome Tiburtina (22:32), Salerno (01:26) and arrive in Messina Villa San Giovanni at 05:33. After the train arrives in Sicily, crossing the Strait of Messina aboard a ship, the rail service splits into two directions: one headed to Palermo in the north-west and the other to Siracusa in the south-east.
The Palermo route stops at Messina (07:55), Milazzo (08:57), Capo d’Orlando (09:38), S. Stefano di Camastra (10:20), Cefalù (10:49), Termini Imerese (11:07), Bagheria (11:23), arriving at its final destination, Palermo Centrale, at 11:36. The Siracusa route stops at Taormina (09:15), Giarre Riposto (09:37), Acireale (09:50), Catania Centrale (10:09), Lentini (10:30), Augusta (11:00) and arrives in Siracusa at 11:23.
The ticket costs €29.90 per journey, and there are 560 seats available, with pets allowed to travel under certain conditions. The train has two dining cars offering traditional Sicilian food and wine, with a €25 menu. The train-ship service allows travellers to depart by train from Turin, with stops in Milan, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Florence, and Rome, as far as Naples, where they will board a GNV ferry to Palermo.
The journey begins on April 17, 2025, departing from Turin at 11:30 on board the Italo train 9935, arriving in Naples central station at 17:43. The GNV ship leaves the port of Naples at 20:00, arriving in Palermo at 07:30 the following morning. The return voyage is on the evening of April 21, 2025, with the ferry leaving the port of Palermo at 07:30, arriving in Naples at 07:00 the next morning, with the Italo train 9924 to Turin departing at 09:20. For this option, there are 472 seats available, with the cost per journey ranging from €30 to €39.
Tickets for the Sicilia Express go on sale from April 5, 2025, while tickets for the train-ferry service can be purchased from midday on April 8, 2025, via the call centre 060708.
