This Iconic Train Line Is Returning to Italy After 50 Years

You’ll be able to travel in luxury starting in 2023.

Stefano Termanini/Shutterstock
Stefano Termanini/Shutterstock

Since 1977, the Orient Express has not traveled through Italy. In 2023, travelers will once again be able to seize the opportunity to travel in immense luxury with the Orient Express La Dolce Vita launch. According to a press release, the new train will be styled in homage to 1960s era Italy, "a historical period of glamor, joie de vivre and artistic fervor."

About 150 years ago, Georges Nagelmackers launched the first luxury Orient Express. Since then, the iconic train has been immortalized in film and literature. The La Dolce Vita line will have six trains that will travel to 14 regions. Guests will even be able to make their way from Rome to Paris, France, Istanbul, Turkey, and Split, Croatia. In total, there are nearly 10,000 miles of railway for the new train, spanning across eight countries.

There will be 12 Deluxe cabins, 18 suites, five-star dining, and Italian wines onboard. Everything will be bathed in the sort of "Made In Italy" decadence that will recall some of Italy's most cinematic moments. Think L'avventura meets Marriage, Italian Style.

Later, in 2024, the first Orient Express Hotel will open in a 17th-century palace at Piazza della Minerva, in Rome, according to CNN. Considering that it's in a palace, the hotel will likely have as many luxurious features as the new train line.

Learn more about the train and keep an eye out for when tickets go on sale at orient-express.com.