Italy’s first luxury train, La Dolce Vita Orient Express, will commence its journeys in the spring of 2025, with bookings now open at orient-express.com.
Taking luxury rail travel to unparalleled heights, with a ‘Made in Italy’ experience, this exquisite new travel offering will feature eight one-to-two-night itineraries with immersive explorations from the north to the south of the country.
This venture, expertly guided by new general manager Samy Ghachem (formerly managing director at Sereno Hotels and Frosch) marks a partnership between Italian luxury hospitality group Arsenale S.p.A., Orient Express, and Trenitalia-Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato, Fondazione FS and Treni Turistici Italiani TTI.
The arrival of La Dolce Vita Orient Express comes close to the arrival of the first two Orient Express hotels; Orient Express La Minerva in Rome, followed by Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in Venice.
The journeys will include access to the newly established La Dolce Vita Orient Express executive lounge at Roma Ostiense. The train’s design and décor conceived by Italian Dimorestudio have been masterfully curated to communicate the art of Italian living, with the sumptuous interior celebrating the design and craftmanship of 1960’s and 1970’s La Dolce Vita period in Italy.
The project takes inspiration from masters of Italian design, including Carlo Scarpa, Gio Ponti and Ignazio Gardella through to the great artists of the Spatialism movement that put space and time at the centre of its compositions, such as Lucio Fontana, Agostino Bonalumi and Enrico Castellani. La Dolce Vita Orient Express train marries the golden age of Italian design with a more contemporary spirit of travel. The design project was conceived to embody a flawless and understated balance between the historic and contemporary, while still maintaining its authenticity. The spaces are thoughtfully designed and always well-curated and subtle details complement each other graciously.
Beck and Maltese Consulting, alongside La Dolce Vita Orient Express, confirmed that renowned three Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck will oversee the cuisine onboard the rail cruises. Guests will have the pleasure of experiencing the curated menu by this world-renowned chef with a deep connection to Italy. With the ambition of its cuisine to become a recognised part of UNESCO heritage, the train will offer regional and thematic routes, celebrating the culinary diversity of each region traversed during every journey.
Wines onboard will showcase everything from the biggest labels through to lesser-known wineries, always synonymous with quality and the uniqueness typical of Italy. To curate the wine list, La Dolce Vita Orient Express has partnered with Vinitaly, one of the world’s largest and most significant international wine and spirits exhibitions, committing to selecting six outstanding wine companies annually presented at the exhibition that represent north, south and central Italy. This ties into the wider brand goal of fostering associations with local Italian life and celebrating authentic symbols of Italian excellence. This is just one of many exciting brand collaborations to be announced with the purpose of highlighting the very best from each region that the ‘Made in Italy’ itineraries visit.
La Dolce Vita Orient Express with 12 carriages per train (only 62 passengers per train), 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites and one La Dolce Vita Suite combines romance, style, the art of encounters and relaxation, with a cruising model for round-trip experiences.
The trips cover 16,000km of track, including 7,000km of non-electrified railway, spread over 14 regions and 131 cities across Italy. Central to the experience will be exclusive, thoughtfully curated and memorable excursions, included in the cost, along with full-board accommodation. The eight itineraries are designed to provide a highly emotional travel experience, appealing to all five senses. Taking in the breadth of the country, it is a journey into the heart of nature, through its lakes, forests, sumptuous coasts and Alpine mountains, and an immersion into the centre of cities that are international hubs of art and culture, from Milan to Florence, Venice and Rome.
The itineraries also offer access to once difficult to reach destinations, such as Matera in Basilicata, the third oldest city in the world, with its ancient architecture, caves and stunning natural beauty, and Palena, a beautiful mountainous village in Abruzzo with medieval architecture, scenic views and rich cultural heritage. A remarkable itinerary also includes the world’s first passenger rail ferry, accessing the island of Sicily, where the train will decouple at Calabria and load onto a ferry, for the experience to resume on water, before being reassembled and continuing the tracks in Messina.
Ghachem said: “It is a privilege to join La Dolce Vita Orient Express at this key period in the revival of the iconic Orient Express brand and the launch of Italy’s first foray into luxury rail hospitality. 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.”
Guests may reserve directly online by visiting orient-express.com/la-dolce-vita. Pricing is tailored to travel preferences and departure date. Starting prices referring to a one-night itinerary are €3,500 per person in a deluxe cabin and €4,700 per person in a suite.
