Dreaming of Italy: Trains and Planes
By Elizabeth DiGregorio
Travelling through Abruzzo and Molise can be tricky for those of us who are too timid or downright scared of renting a car and chugging through the Apennine Mountains. Italian creativit y and ingenuit y now makes it possible to see not only Abruzzo and Molise by train but the whole of Italy and its many historical and architectural treasures.
The Historic Trains of Fondazione FS Italiane
The museum of the Fondazione FS Italiane
The Fondazione FS Italiane looks af ter and manages the Italian State Railway ’s vast historic heritage for all of Italy. It was founded in 2013 and oversees a f leet of 400 pieces of historic “rolling stock”, archives, librar y, The National Railway Museum at Pietrarsa (on the Naples-Salerno line) and in the future, the Railway Museum at Trieste Campo Marzio. It operates f rom Rome’s historic Villa Patrizi, known to Romans as “The Railway Building.” The organization also oversees The Binari senza Tempo Project which has reopened 10 tourist routes focusing on ecological and heritage sites along what were once abandoned lines.
One of the first Binari senza Tempo projects begun in 2014 was the Sulmona-Carpinone line. A visit to the website and a click on the “book a journey ” icon will have you dreaming of Italy. Places previously reachable only by car, can now be visited by train. Reser ve a seat on one of the many Ferrovia dei Parchi trains and find yourself traveling f rom Sulmona to Roccaraso, Castel di Sangro or Montesilvano in Abruzzo or to Carovilli in Molise. There are many trains that travel through seven of Italy’s 20 regions. Some are historic with steam locomotives; others are diesel or electric. The names of the trains evoke myster y and adventure: Some examples:
Treno degli Dei transpor ts you to Tropea, Bagnara, Scilla and Reggio Calabria; Treno Dante goes from Florence to Ravenna; Treno Natura: festa dell’uva e del vino from Siena to Chiusi; or Treno Natura: dagli Etruschi al Brunello from Siena to Montalcino. And, if renting a train, complete with train engineers and staff, appeals to you, the F S Fondazione makes it possible. Per fec t for celebrating a wedding, a special bir thday or other memorable events.
The Transiberiana d’Italia
The Transiberiana d’Italia travels through majestic scenery.
In April of 2021, Italy ’s Cultural Minister announced a 435-million-euro investment in the countr y ’s historic railway lines, notable pilgrimage routes, and other cultural itineraries. Two of note are the Ferrovia dei Templi that runs bet ween A grigento and Por t Empedocle in Sicily. The other is the Transiberiana d’Italia, or the Railway of the Parks. It is called Transiberiana d’Italia because it crosses the Apennines and at one of its stops reaches an altitude of 1268.82 meters with the snow y, ic y landscape reminiscent of Siberia. It travels through the forests of the Majella National Park and the mountainous areas of the Abruzzo and Molise regions. The trains are equipped with bic ycle storage compar tments and many train itineraries include tour, trekking and culinar y guides.
Places previously reachable only by car can now be visited by train.
La Dolce Vita — Orient Express Style
The route of La Dolce Vita train service.
If none of the above captures your imagination, star t saving for 2023 when Trenitalia will launch its La Dolce Vita train ser vice that evokes Orient E xpress-st yle retro extravagance and 10 different itineraries around Italy. The routes pass through 14 of Italy ’s 20 regions with access to 128 cities. Italian designer-chic vintage interiors and food inspired by the local produce are t wo of the many amenities. On July 11, 2021, as par t of a promotional trip, The “Dolce Vita” train lef t Rome for Sulmona and Roccaraso along the Ferrovia dei Parchi The photo shows Itinerar y 4 , one of La Dolce Vita’s 10 itineraries. It star ts in Rome, connects with the Transiberiana d’Italia and takes you through Abruzzo and Molise’s National Parks and Nature Reserves.
ITA Airways — It’s Official
ITA Airway’s sky blue plane
ITA Airways … Italia Trasporto Aereo launched October 15, 2021 with everything about the new airline being “centopercento italiano”. The new, evocative planes are sky-blue with the green, red and white tricolore stripes on the tail and engines, a homage to the Azzurri national sports team; staff will wear uniforms by top Italian designers, the plane interiors and airport lounges will be dressed by highclass Italian firms. Even the cars and minibuses used to move around the grounds will be Italian. The transformation from Alitalia to ITA Airways should be finalized in early 2022 when the first new jets enter the fleet …. Rome to New York flights start as early as November 2021 … but don’t expect the new blue heaven until 2022. As the CNN article states: “they’ve long dominated the food and fashion worlds, this year they’ve dominated sports, and now they’re aiming for the skies.”
Sources:
Dolce Vita train. Here are all the itineraries of the Orient E xpress in Italy: dream journeys in the Italian heart (viaggiando-italia.it)
Just The T icket! Italy Invests In Luxur y And Vintage Train Travel (forbes.com)
La Transiberiana d’Italia alla scoper ta del Molise, nuove tappe tra borghi, natura e cultura — quotidianomolise.com