The new service which follows a route from Italy's capital Roma Termini to ski town Cortina d’Ampezzo offers travel every weekend until 25 February. According to FS the service departs every Friday from Roma Termini at 21:40 arriving in Calalzo di Cadore at 07:57 am.
The express service features further stops at Orte, Orvieto, Treviso, Polpet and Longarone Zoldo. Passengers are offered a 45-minute bus from Calalzo to Cortina to complete the journey to the famous ski destination.
Luigi Ferraris, CEO of FS Group, emphasised how the new service will encourage “slow tourism”.
Ferraris said: “For us, it marks the start of a whole new adventure with Treni Turistici Italiani. This company was established recently with the aim of allowing people to discover all the beauty our country has to offer with slow tourism – in other words, by using trains that allow us to drink in the landscape at a gentle, peaceful pace.
According to the FS Group, the rolling stock and assets acquired for the Treni Turistici company came from Trenitalia’s commercial park.
The FS Group aim for the project to boost tourism across the region, whilst generating wealth.
According to a study by the Bocconi University of Milan on account of the FS Group, “for 1 euro spent on the purchase of services with a historic-tourist train each traveller, spends at least 1.50 euros and up to 3.18 euros on goods and services offered by the territory crossed”.
The Treni Turistici service features various amenities which are stated to be "crafted around the idea of being a tourist".
Luigi Cantamessa, CEO of FS Treni Turistici Italiani highlighted the train cars features.
Cantamessa said: "This train, with all its carriages, represents the latest in fine Italian workmanship: solid, well-designed carriages that are built to last. We have completely rearranged them, as if refurbishing the interiors of a family hotel.
"And so the Espresso Cadore was born: a train made up of sleeper and couchette cars, a dining car, and the return of the baggage car of yesteryear, where you can stow large items such as tents, canoes, electric bikes - in fact, more or less anything."
