Fancy Italy? There are already beautiful railroads through the Alps and nostalgic, historic trains. But it’s about to get even better! Italy’s national railway company, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), has announced the introduction of new trains to promote sustainable tourism. The trains will run on popular holiday routes, using vintage locomotives and carriages. There will also be a new Orient Express in 2024. Here you can find out what to expect. And in order to make your vacation truly sustainable, we also recommend some green places to stay.

New Italian Tourist Trains 2024 – What to Expect

According to the FS press release, the “FS Treni Turistici Italiani” (Italian tourist trains) will be launched in 2024. The project includes three areas:

• Historical express trains: New trains are planned for medium- and long-distance routes connecting major cities and tourist destinations (the routes from Rome and Milan to Calalzo and Cortina are already announced). The express trains will be equipped with coaches from the 1980s and 1990s, and will include restaurant, seating and sleeping cars, as well as facilities for transporting skis, bicycles and luggage.
• Regional omnibus trains on weekends: Low-cost tourist trains are planned for weekend trips within Italy that will travel to interesting landscapes. The aim is to bring travelers into nature at low cost.
• Luxury trains: 2024 will also see the debut of the “Dolce Vita” Orient Express. This is a historic train with sleeping and dining wagons. The nostalgic Orient Express trains are owned by the Accor Group. The exact route is not yet known, only that the train will travel between “different regions” in Italy.

Railtripping – Discover Italy by train

Railtripping is the sustainable version of roadtripping, and Italy is well suited for it. Especially in northern Italy, the network is very well developed. But there are also interesting train routes in the south, and you can even take a ferry to Sicily by train!

Tip: Use the app of the Italian railway company Trenitalia to check train connections within Italy. Another research option is the booking platform The Trainline.

Sustainable hotels support travel by rail

“We believe that the train is the best means of transportation on this planet,” LA VIMEA writes on its website, offering to pick up all guests from the train station in Naturno free of charge. Italy’s first fully vegan hotel, located in South Tyrol, is for adults only and offers yoga retreats and wellness in addition to its vegan cuisine.

Travelling on the historic Ritten Railway in South Tyrol

A train trip to South Tyrol is particularly attractive because of the Alpine panorama. From the train station in Bolzano you can walk to the valley station of the cable car and reach Oberbozen on the Ritten – thanks to the Ritten Card, which you will receive from our three partners on the Ritten before your arrival, you can use the cable car and all other means of transport on the Ritten free of charge. The various villages on the Ritten are connected by the historic Rittenbahn which is active since 1907. It also takes you to the Green Pearls® hotels.

Sustainable Green Pearls® Hotels on the Ritten

Hotel Weihrerhof: The hotel is located on the shores of Lake Wolfsgruben, one of the cleanest bathing lakes in Italy. In winter the lake transforms into a huge ice field. There are playgrounds for children and leisure activities for adults (as the sauna in the boathouse for example).

ADLER Lodge RITTEN: Luxurious suites and private wooden chalets are grouped around a natural pond. Here you can relax and unwind, wonderfully. There’s a forest sauna, heated infinity pool, and signature treatments. In addition, there is an all-inclusive service with specialties from the farm-to-table kitchen.

APIPURA hotel rinner: At this special hotel, everything revolves around the bee. Senior owner Paul Rinner is a passionate beekeeper and loves to share his passion with his guests. There is an educational bee nature trail, homemade organic honey on the breakfast buffet, a weekly honey dinner, and an apiary spa where you can breathe the air of the beehive. The hotel is also a great experience for children.

To Milan by train

From Bolzano you can currently reach Milan with a single change in Verona. Perhaps there will be new connections in 2024, as Milan is already explicitly mentioned as a station for the new tourist trains.

Considered one of the most beautiful train stations in the world, Milano Centrale boasts huge columns and marble floors. From here, it’s a 10-minute tram ride to Hotel Milano Scala, Italy’s first zero-emissions hotel. The hotel, with its beautiful rooftop terrace, is right in the center of town, and within walking distance of all the city’s attractions. For a sustainable stay in Milan, we recommend a visit to the vintage markets. You can also visit the twin Bosco Verticale (“Vertical Forests”) skyscrapers. These green buildings are examples of sustainable urban planning. They are meant to demonstrate how the forest can come back to the big cities.

Reach Sicily by train – Take the train on the ferry

To Sicily by train? It’s possible! There is even a direct connection from Rome to Palermo (also as an overnight train)! And the journey is truly spectacular. At Villa San Giovanni, the train will board a ferry and disembark in Messina, Sicily.

On Sicily itself, however, the train service is not so well developed. Therefore, the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA offers a shuttle service to the resort, and e-bikes and e-cars can be rented on site. The sustainable spa hotel is located on the south coast, directly on the protected sandy beach of the WWF nature reserve Torre Salsa.

Traveling in Italy

Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The European country has a lot to offer: Mountains, sandy beaches, the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, volcanoes, cultural treasures from the former Roman Empire, the Vatican and, of course, the delicious Mediterranean cuisine. 🙂

If you are keen to learn more about traveling to Italy, check out the following blogs:

Green Travel Guide Italy Part 1: Sustainable Destination South Tyrol

Green Travel Guide Italy Part 2: Sustainable Travel in Liguria Lombardy and Friuli

Green Travel Guide Italy Part 3: Sustainable Travel in Southern Italy and Sicily

In the press release, FS cites estimations that more than 75 million foreign tourists will arrive in 2023 (65 million in 2022). Tourism from Asia in particular has increased. Italy is now the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world.

To keep all these tourists from polluting the climate, it makes sense to create new train lines and keep old cars and locomotives in use for their nostalgic charm. Steam locomotives, however, will not be used, as they no longer meet current safety requirements in Europe (and frankly, aren’t very environmentally friendly).

What do you think? Have you ever traveled by train in Italy? Can you recommend it? And are you excited about the new connections?

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