The key pointsThe projectTickets on sale from AprilThe itineraries
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Italy is betting on a new model of rail tourism: the luxury rail cruise with the Dolce Vita Orient Express train. The protagonist is a fleet of six historic trains, currently being manufactured in the railway workshops of Brindisi (main hub) and Palermo. The project was born on the initiative of Arsenale and Orient Express, companies active in the luxury hospitality segment. Arsenale, based in Rome, is controlled by the Barletta family (71.91%), owned by the American Oaktree fund (16.11%) and by Nicola Bulgari’s Annabel Holding (11.98%).
The project
The main objective of Arsenale, underlines CEO Paolo Barletta, is the valorisation of the national tourism sector. The project is also in collaboration with Trenitalia, the leading company of the passenger hub of the Fs Group, the Fs Foundation and Italian tourist trains, all companies of the Ferrovie dello Stato.
The trains will travel to discover the beauties of Italy on dedicated routes from 1 to 3 nights, with a maximum number of 62 passengers per train.
These are railway vehicles entirely made in Italy, with Italian design, materials and designers, 5-star luxury services, inspired by the Dolce Vita of the 1960s. A vintage train which, even before making its debut on the national railway network, is already enjoying a strong interest abroad: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Egypt (the latter last Sunday) have already signed agreements with Arsenale to ensure the supply of trains similar to those which, in about a year, will circulate along some of the most spectacular routes and iconic of our country.
A unique journey to the most beautiful country in the world with La Dolce Vita Orient Express
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Tickets on sale from April
From next April, the La Dolce Vita Orient Express train officially opens ticket sales all over the world, but already during the pre-sale phase, which started last December 2nd, over 400 cabins were booked.