La Dolce Vita Orient Express is widening its Italian offering for 2027, with a new collection of routes that link some of the country's best-loved destinations — and puts the train ride itself at the centre of the holiday. The idea is simple: rather than sprinting between cities, travellers watch vineyards, coastlines and hill towns drift past the window while dining onboard in style.
The headline route runs from Rome to Portofino, Venice and Florence. It starts in the capital, swings north to the Ligurian coast for Portofino's pastel harbour and Mediterranean glamour, then continues to Venice before finishing in Renaissance-era Florence. Regional food and wine, both onboard and at stops along the way, are built into each leg.
Wine fans get two dedicated options. The Italian Wine Route pairs Bolgheri — the Tuscan medieval village famous for its cypress-lined avenue and bold reds — with Verona, gateway to Veneto's wine country and a city layered with Roman, medieval and Renaissance heritage. There's also a Rome-to-Venice service that stops in Bolgheri, tracing the scenery shift from the Tuscan coast to the Venetian lagoon.
The most food-focused addition is the Truffle Route to Alba, deep in Piedmont's Langhe hills. Alba is Italy's white truffle capital, and the itinerary extends beyond the fungus to the surrounding villages and the storied Barolo and Barbaresco wine zones. It's pitched squarely at serious eaters and drinkers.
For travellers, this is a way to combine several Italian regions in one trip without airport transfers or rental cars — and to do it at a deliberately slower pace. Availability is still a way off, but 2027 dates are worth planning around if a sleeper-train tour of Tuscany, Piedmont or the Riviera is on your wish list. Expect demand to be high when bookings open, as the existing La Dolce Vita routes tend to sell out well in advance.
Story via Breaking Travel News.
