Italy has an expensive new transport experience, and it’s not a Ferrari. The Dolce Vita Orient Express — unveiled earlier this year — is the country’s first homegrown luxury train, pitched as an homage to the 1950s and ‘60s, when glamor meant Fellini, Valentino and sunglasses after dark.
There are 18 itineraries on offer, each threading its way through the Italian countryside with an air of cinematic nostalgia. We hitched a ride with the “Taste of Tuscan Vineyards” tour this summer: a 24-hour fever dream of wood panelling, wine and being waited on.
It all begins at Rome’s Ostiense station, in an opulent lounge designed by French architect Hugo Toro. There are original 20th-century mosaics underfoot, live jazz in the air, and servers handing out refreshments before anyone even boards. Luggage is whisked away to cabins.
It’s already a million miles away from the noise and chaos of the rush-hour commute outside.
