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TRAIN TRAVEL

Where Italy’s new ‘tourist trains’ can take you in 2024

New rail routes are planned to take visitors from Italy's major cities to smaller destinations under a scheme aimed at making tourism in the country more sustainable.

Published: 15 November 2023 11:27 CET
Updated: 5 January 2024 14:59 CET
Where Italy's new 'tourist trains' can take you in 2024
A passenger waits for a train at Manarola, Cinque Terre. Italy's rail network is set to expand to include special 'tourist train' routes. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)

Though some passengers may have not-too-distant memories of run-down trains trundling through the Italian countryside, national rail services have improved significantly overall in the past two decades and journeys are becoming faster and more comfortable.

For visitors, rail travel is already seen as a generally reliable and efficient way to tour Italy’s major destinations, and trains are expected to play a bigger part in Italy’s tourism industry from next year.

MAP: Where can high-speed rail take you in Italy?

The Italian state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) has announced plans to introduce several new tourist-focused services, known as Treni Turistici Italiani, employing ‘luxury’ trains and reconditioned vintage locomotives on some popular routes as well as with lesser-known itineraries.

The initiative comes as Italy struggles to manage overtourism: the issue of too many visitors cramming into popular destinations, such as Rome or Venice, at one time.

The number of international tourists visiting Italy is only expected to keep rising, with an estimated 75 million in 2023 up from 56 million the year before, according to FS.

EXPLAINED: The big changes for train travel across Europe in 2024

The new tourist train services, which appear to be aimed at Italians as well as foreign visitors, are hoped to encourage more people to travel beyond the major cities and best-known tour destinations, encouraging a more sustainable form of travel which supports local economies in lesser-visited areas, FS says on its website.

The new lines were first announced shortly after FS launched a special direct service this summer linking Rome with the ancient archaeological site of Pompeii, a journey which previously required changing to a local stopping service.

Though there’s no information yet about exactly when in 2024 the other planned services will be launched, or how much tickets will cost, the announcements so far give an idea of what passengers can expect.

FS says it plans to run three different types of services – from luxurious international services to slower-paced regional lines – each aimed at making the train journey “an integral part of the vacation”.

The Lusso (Luxury) services will be fronted by the Orient Express La Dolce Vita fleet, with a total of six trains, each featuring “deluxe cabins” and a fine-dining restaurant, travelling across 14 Italian regions and regularly crossing national borders to reach Paris, Istanbul or Split, Croatia.

Meanwhile, the Espresso (Express) division will employ late 20th-century trains restored to modern standards, with sleeper cabins, restaurant cars, and storage areas for bikes and skis. These will link Rome, Milan, and potentially other large cities to popular seaside or mountain destinations.

The first of these will be launched in mid-December 2023, linking Rome with the popular ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.

The Omnibus category will include slower (and lower-priced) regional services, with itineraries aimed at exploring lesser-known regions and their natural landscapes.

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TRAIN TRAVEL

Explained: What to do if you leave your belongings on a train in Italy

Losing an item on public transport is always stressful - but if you leave your luggage on a train in Italy, there are systems in place to help you retrieve it.

Published: 5 July 2024 15:46 CEST
Explained: What to do if you leave your belongings on a train in Italy

We’ve all done it. You get home, or to your hotel or office to realise that, when you got off the train, you forgot to pick up your wallet, laptop, or tablet or sometimes even items of luggage.

Or – every parent’s nightmare – one of your children has left behind their beloved cuddly toy, and only realises as the train you’ve just got off leaves the station.

The good news is that all is not, necessarily, lost. 

READ ALSO: Where Italy’s new ‘tourist trains’ can take you in 2024

The first step is to report the missing item. Italy has two national train companies, state-owned operator Trenitalia and private long-distance operator Italo, and each has its own system for reporting and retrieving lost luggage.

Trenitalia

Trenitalia offers a fairly comprehensive lost luggage service for customers travelling on its Freccia and Intercity long-distance trains.

Its lost property depots are open from early morning until mid-evening every day at major train stations in cities including Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Naples, Palermo, Bari, Genoa, Turin and Verona.

The sooner you report an item as lost, the better; if you realise that you’ve left a bag on the train while still at the station, go straight to one of Trenitalia’s customer service booths so they can contact staff on board and arrange for you to be reunited with your property.

READ ALSO: MAP: Where can high-speed rail take you in Italy?

To report a lost item further down the line, you’ll need to create an account on Trenitalia’s FindMyLost website, which allows you to search for your lost luggage in the system and activate an alert in case an item matching your description is listed.

When your item has been found, you can go to the station where it is stored or have it sent to your home address, subject to a shipping charge.

You can also use the system to report someone else’s lost item that you’ve found.

Note that you only have 15 days to reclaim your lost property once it’s been handed in – after this point, it will be handed over to town authorities at the train’s the final destination and will no longer be available.

Trenitalia also insurance for theft of luggage and valuables of up to €300 per item bag stored in the designated luggage racks, up to a limit of €600 per person.

Regional trains

Trenitalia also runs Italy’s regional train network of stopping trains that go to smaller towns and cities, the treni regionali.

If you leave something on one of these trains, you have fewer options: passengers are advised to speak to customer care representatives at the station or call the toll-free number (+39) 800 89 20 21.

READ ALSO: The train routes connecting Italy to elsewhere in Europe in 2024

Alternatively, you can contact the team by sending a message on Instagram @trenitaliaregionale or Facebook @ilregionaleditrenitalia.

You’ll want to have your ticket number and travel details on hand when making the report.

Italo

Italo’s lost property service is less comprehensive than Trenitalia’s, making it the target of a number of customer complaints over the years.

Its website directs passengers to its own FindMyLost platform, where you can also report both lost and found baggage in much the same way as the Trenitalia portal.

The company does not operate lost property depots at train stations and does not provide coverage for stolen items.

You can contact Italo’s customer assistance services on the toll number (+39) 892020.

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