Replica of Orient Express offers the Italian dolce vita, at a price

A replica of the world-famous Orient Express made its debut journey from Rome yesterday, transporting passengers into the heart of Tuscany's wine region.

- Angela Giuffrida

La Dolce Vita Orient Express, the first Italian-made luxury train, is aimed at reviving the glamour of the classic version as well as the romanticized notion of Italy's dolce vita, or "sweet life," while promoting slow tourism.

The train, the first of a fleet of six, has 12 refurbished carriages that once chugged along Italian rail tracks in the 1960s and which have been decked out with 18 suites, 12 deluxe cabins, a bar, a lounge, and a restaurant serving haute cuisine by the Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck.

It is a joint collaboration between Orient Express, Arsenale, an Italian hospitality company, and Italy's state railways, Ferrovie dello Stato. Its maiden voyage, which involves an overnight route called Tastes of Tuscan Vineyards, left Rome's Ostiense station at about midday.