One writer traveled through Lazio, Puglia, and Tuscany on La Dolce Vita Orient Express.
An evocative blend of Italian beauty and Art Deco styling, the train was launched by Accor late last year, and operates across a rapidly growing network of routes within Italy (international trips to Paris, Istanbul, and Split are slated for later this year). Two of its itineraries, Italian Swing and Northern Greens, are specifically designed for golfers, and Elite Traveler joined the inaugural outing of the former, a four-day, three-night loop with visits to courses in Lazio, Puglia, and Tuscany.
The journey begins and ends at the Orient Express La Minerva Rome. The hotel reopened at the same time as La Dolce Vita took to the rails and its grand 17th-century bones have been fleshed out with Art Deco, mid-century Modern, and contemporary elements, reminiscent of a mode of travel that has become unfamiliar.
And so to the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, an island of green in Rome’s dusty suburbs and the venue for the 2023 Ryder Cup – the first time Italy had hosted the tournament. The event succeeded in putting a country little known for golf firmly on the sporting map.
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That evening we finally boarded the train. The liveried conductors and the glossy 1960s-inspired design – most dazzlingly showcased in the bar car, with its curved banquettes, harlequin patterns, and Gio Ponti objets – made a powerful impression. As did dinner. We feasted, as we would do every night, on a menu curated by German chef Heinz Beck, of Rome’s three-Michelin-starred La Pergola.
The pattern for the remainder of the trip had been set. It was repeated in Puglia at the San Domenico course, with its Baja California vibe, adjacent to the feted Borgo Egnazia hotel, where I squeezed in a sublime spa treatment; and then in Tuscany, at the equally celebrated Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, an idyll of undulating vineyards and cypress trees.
At that point, biblical-level rain meant Plan A, a round of golf, was no longer attractive. Plan B, a walking tour of Montalcino, was off. Plan C, truffle hunting in the woods, ditto. Most of us opted for Plan D, a tasting of the Brunello wines for which Castiglion del Bosco is renowned. Should you encounter similar conditions, go for Plan D.
A personal highlight came on our final day, at the Argentario course, near Porto Ercole. During some rainy one-to-one coaching with resident expert, Edoardo Schiavella, I sank a 29-ft putt across a vast and sodden green with a treacherous double break. Though I’d only played three holes, I called it a day then and there.
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During our final hours en route back to Rome, reflecting on the day’s triumph, I surmised that while other railbuffs will likely agree that Belmond’s Venice-Simplon Orient Express remains the benchmark, La Dolce Vita strikes a different note – it is younger, more relaxed, less conspicuously nostalgic. One quibble is a logistical one: I wish we’d spent less time in cars and more on the train itself. We piled into vehicles early each morning and only got back on board after sunset, but to my eye, La Dolce Vita’s interiors are at their sparkling best in natural light. Because Italy, like most places, is rarely viewed at its best from the back row of a people carrier. Give me a train window with a cocktail in hand any day.
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