Just when we thought Italy couldn't possibly give us any more reason to visit, a hedonistic new luxury sleeper train chugs into Rome. Well, old-new, really. Meticulously restored, the Orient Express is revving its engines again for the first time in over 140 years with the launch of the new La Dolce Vita Orient Express.
The ‘world’s most famous train’ made its inaugural journey in 1883 and has captured the imagination of people the world over both on and off-screen since, from Agatha Christie’s murder mystery to famous royals and spies using it as a luxurious and discreet way to commute. Now, while parts of the Orient Express were revived by Belmond with the striking 1920s and 1930s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train from Paris, abandoned carriages have been revived by Accor Group, LVMH and Arsenale, an Italian hospitality company, to bring the old-world glamour back on a much larger scale.
The ambitious project starts in Rome, with six trains known as ‘La Dolce Vita’, or the ‘sweet life’, inspired by Federico Fellini’s film of the same name, and an ode to the golden age of Italian glamour. The first train, made of 12 refurbished carriages, made its inaugural journey in April, chugging along Italian rail tracks to dreamy locales like Tuscany, Sicily and Venice.
The train's decked out with 18 suites, 12 deluxe cabins, a bar, a lounge and a Michelin-star restaurant on board. I had a chance to test one of this train’s first journeys from Rome to Montalcino for the two-day ‘Tastes of Tuscan Vineyards’ itinerary.
Our lavish experience kicked off inside a gigantic new private lounge in Rome’s Ostiense Station designed by young and exciting Parisian interior designer and architect Hugo Toro, who’s also behind the grand design of the Orient Express’s first hotel, La Minerva by Rome's Pantheon. Inside the capacious lounge, bellboys take care of your luggage, waiters are on hand to whisk up cocktails, cappuccinos and freshly baked snacks (including a beautiful tiramisu) while a band plays live Italian music. Those needing a refresh, showers are also on hand for anyone coming straight from a plane or train via the complimentary transfer service.
But it's the on-board experience we're really here for. Strolling through the teeny cafe-au-lait coloured suede corridors lined with photographs of 1960s film stars like Brigitte Bardot, the ‘wow’ moment is opening the door to my deluxe suite. Each suite comes with its own plus double-bed, lacquer desk and separate sofa for watching the astounding Italian countryside and coast whizz past through the vast window. The deluxe cabins are similar but have a sofa bed that folds out at night.
Each cabin comes with its own en-suite bathroom – a design perk that not every luxury sleeper train out there comes with. It's a cleverly compartmented minuscule but luxurious space with a shower that is somehow bigger and more comfortable than the last hotel in Paris I stayed at, fluffy towels and Milanese Eredi Zucca toiletries on hand. I highly recommend reserving a few hours of your trip to relax post-shower while wearing the Orient Express branded fluffy robe and slippers, watching the Italian countryside whizz past you.
These smart design ideas are the workings of Milan-based Dimorestudio, founded by Italian designer Emiliano Salci and US-born Britt Moran in 2003, the studio is known as a favourite of the Milanese fashion set thanks to their hybrid aesthetics: part classical Italian, part mid-century modern, with a dash of Seventies loucheness thrown in for good measure.
And you'll find plenty of midcentury and 1960s design influences on board, like the diamond pattern in the bar cart and the rich burnt oranges throughout the carriages.
The intimate communal spaces means guests naturally bond, from the five-course lunch menu in the restaurant car to the evening live band performances in the lounge bar.
For lunch, we sat down in the restaurant cart for a five-course menu by Heinz Beck, Rome's only chef with three Michelin stars which he amassed during his 30-year tenure La Pergola. The menu changes depending on the itinerary. For our Tuscan excursion, the ingredients matched the region's finest, starting with a fresh panzanella salad, chestnut cake with duck prosciutto and an absolutely gorgeous pumpkin gnocchi with mushrooms. Cocktails are shaken up in the bar cart next door and there's an impressive wine pairing to go with the meal.
That winds us over to our Tuscan off-board adventure. While the destinations may seem like the big tourist go-tos (Venice, Positano, Tuscany), the excursions take you to the hidden gems and lesser-known sides of the regions. For us, that was Montalcino vineyard Argiano, one of the smaller wineries in the area which has been producing Brunello di Montalcino for nearly 500 years. These vineyards change throughout so repeat travellers won't necessarily go to the same place twice.
After seamlessly being whisked in cars to the winery, our private visit began with an art tour in the vineyard's galleries to see the owner's private collection of medieval and Renaissance art followed by a tour of the barrels and the wine cellar and a special four-course dinner paired with vintages for wine tasting alongside the meal.
The evening concludes back on board in the lounge car for live music by Rome-based American singer Tess Amodeo Vickery, a relative of Frank Sinatra, who got the lounge car lively with songs like ‘New York, New York’ and ‘Mambo Italiano’ and handed out tambourines for guests to get involved and a DJ set for those keeping the night going. The sleeping carriages are so well sound-proofed, a few guests on board didn't actually realise any of this was happening.
After a sleep that was akin to being rocked to sleep as the train chugs back to Rome, stopping every four or so hours to replenish water onboard), I opted for the a-la-carte breakfast in the dining cart but you can also ask your cabin steward for a continental breakfast in your suite.
With over 30 staff also on board during this slick two-day adventure, it's quite remarkable to think about the whole affair. From someone on board ready to help guests with their every whim, to conjuring Michelin-star-worthy meals in a tiny, moving kitchen and a full-on live band it makes you think of the Agatha Christie quote, "The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.”
