Orient Express Bringing Luxury Train Travel to Italy

Starting in spring 2025, Italy will have its own luxury train, the La Dolce Vita Orient Express, offering eight all-inclusive train journeys that travel (mostly) roundtrip from Rome.

“La Dolce Vita Orient Express is set to offer an inimitable take on luxury rail travel, reigniting a bygone era through a contemporary lens, Italian style,” said newly appointed general manager Samy Ghachem.

The train itself is inspired by the 1960s and 70s “La Dolce Vita” period. Onboard, guests will be limited to no more than 62 passengers, with living and dining space spread across 12 carriages. Accommodations comprise 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, and one La Dolce Via suite.

Itineraries

The eight one- and two-night itineraries cover more than 9,941 miles of track, spread over 14 regions and 131 cities across Italy. The journeys offer access to once remote destinations, such as Matera in Basilicata, the third oldest city in the world, and Palena, a mountain village in Abruzzo.

One itinerary also includes the world’s first passenger rail ferry, accessing the island of Sicily, where the train will decouple in Calabria and load onto a ferry before being reassembled and continuing on the tracks in Messina.

The train journeys will include access to the newly created La Dolce Vita Orient Express executive lounge at the Roma Ostiense train station.

Two-night itineraries include Venice and Portofino (Rome-Venice-Portofino-Rome), Venice and Tuscany (Rome-Venice-Siena-Rome), and the Eternal Stones of Matera (Rome-Matera-Palena-Rome). One-night options include Tastes of Tuscan Vineyards (Rome-Montalcino-Rome) and Shores of Sicily (Catania-Palermo-Taormina-Catania).

There is also a two-night open-jaw between Rome and Palermo, or the reverse.

Pricing for a one-night itinerary starts at €3,500 per person in a deluxe cabin.

Michelin-starred cuisine

Three Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck will oversee the cuisine onboard the rail cruises.

With an ambition for its cuisine to become a recognized part of UNESCO heritage, the train will offer regional and thematic routes, celebrating the culinary diversity of each region visited during each journey.

Additionally, wines onboard will showcase a variety of viticulture from well-known labels to undiscovered wineries, all from within Italy. In partnership with Vinitaly, guests will go on a wine journey with six hand-selected wineries that represent north, south, and central Italy.

The launch of La Dolce Vita Orient Express precedes the anticipated openings of the first two Orient Express hotels: Orient Express La Minerva in Rome and Orient Express Palazzo Dona Giovannelli in Venice.