Luxury Orient Express trains are to return to Italy in 2023.
Six trains will embark on several domestic itineraries as well as eight countries, including from Rome to Paris, Istanbul and Split.
Stopovers in Rome will feature the first Orient Express Hotel, Minerva, due to open in 2024.
The new Orient Express ‘La Dolce Vita’ trains will be supported by hospitality partner Accor.
The trains will include 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, one ‘Honour Suite’ and restaurant, described as “boldly celebrating the craftsmanship, design and creativity of the 1960s and 1970s”.
Accor chief executive Sabastien Bazin said: “We consider it an immense privilege to re-launch the historic Orient Express brand for passionate and discerning travellers.”
Stephen Alden, chief executive of Raffles and Orient Express at Accor added: “It is thrilling to be bringing the refined nomadic spirit of Orient Express back to life for a new generation of travellers.
“The original train route was innovative in the way it paradoxically brought cultures together – the Occident with the Orient, history with modernity.
“As artisans of travel, we wish to revive this old-world, awe-inspiring ‘journey to elsewhere’ and reconcile certain paradoxes: a journey and a destination, astonishment and inspiration, movement and contemplation.
“Against the backdrop of breath-taking panoramas and a unique blend of cultures, we are convinced that travellers will have unforgettable experiences in Italy with Orient Express La Dolce Vita.”
