2023-04-19 06:57:18
Dhe floor hums and vibrates, the coffee mug moves around by itself on the folding table, while the guests sit in soft cushions and look out the window, where hills, groves and now and then an ancient Roman aqueduct fly by – the “Arlecchino” thunders through Italy.
This train, “Harlequin” in English, is so called because of its colorful interior; he is the Pride of Italian railways. Or rather, it’s him again. Because the futuristic vehicle was already running for the first time in the summer of 1960, when the Olympic Games were taking place in Rome.
On its inaugural journey between Milan and Venice, it reached a speed of 187 km/h. For that time it was a hell of a speed.
Like the VW Beetle for West Germany, the streamlined electric express trains were a symbol of Italy’s resurgent economy until they were phased out in the 1990s.
The journey costs only 14.50 euros
Lovingly restored by the Fondazione FS, a cultural foundation of the Italian state railway, the “Harlequin” has been whizzing through Italy again on certain dates since October 2020. And not just him. The Fondazione has put a number of historic trains on the track, many of which do not run on a regular basis, but run quite frequently and usually very cheaply through the most beautiful corners of the country.
A ticket for the “Harlequin” from Milan to Bergamo and Brescia, for example, costs just 14.50 euros. In addition to the “Harlequin”, trains with old steam, diesel and electric locomotives are also on the road on behalf of the Fondazione, many from the 1930s and 1950s.
In historical trains through Italy’s most beautiful landscapes
Those: FS Italiane Foundation
Italy has long been considered a role model for modern rail travel. In contrast to Germany, the trains are fast, quiet, clean and above all punctual. If you want to travel from Rome to Milan, for example, you have the choice between the bright red state-owned Trenitalia super express trains and the dark red Italo trains operated by the private operator NTV – both need just three hours for the almost 600 kilometers, both offer more comfort and better service than the ICE.
The number of passengers is correspondingly high. The Italian traffic turnaround is so successful that experts even blame it for the bankruptcy of the traditional airline Alitalia.
The front is a viewing platform
The most stylish predecessor of these successful trains is the “Arlecchino”. Designed by star architect Giò Ponti and designer Giulio Minoletti, the train was iconic for its design alone. Plush velvet armchairs, curtains in front of the windows, imitation leather walls; each of the three high-capacity wagons has its own basic color: blue, beige or green.
All seats are first class, with generous seat pitch, half in one and half in two-seater configurations. The fourth car houses the gleaming chrome on-board bar, where white-liveried staff serve espresso, fresh pastries and excellent sparkling wine.
Panoramic view from the pulpit
Quelle: FS Foundation’s Archives
The highlight is the rounded car at the top: where the driver’s cab is on a normal train or railcar, the “Harlekin” has a glazed “Belvedere” at the front, an aerodynamically shaped viewing platform with eight swivel chairs (which cannot be reserved), the design of which is slightly different reminiscent of the bridge of “Starship Enterprise”.
The engine driver sits behind it, half a flight up, in a chamber with a raised lookout.
The Orient Express is also coming back
The restoration of the last existing “Harlequin”, which was found in 2009 smeared and rusting in a warehouse, took a good decade. There wasn’t much left of him, so a main part of the work consisted of the detailed reconstruction of the interior according to old photos and sketches.
Now the train is an almost perfect replica of its original form, with the exception of a few updates such as sockets for charging laptops, subtle modernizations in the bar car, modern toilets and integration with Trenitalia’s regular booking system. The damping, on the other hand, has not been significantly improved, see above – 180 km/h in the “Harlequin” is, today as in the past, quite a jolting experience.
Before the “Arlecchino” was restored, vandals had let off steam on it
Those: FS Italiane Foundation
Trips on historic trains can be booked on the Fondazione website, sorted by region (from Abruzzo to Tuscany), type of train (from steam locomotives to electric multiple units) or month (from April to November). Steam and diesel trains are the most common, and the wagons are sometimes a hodgepodge of various styles.
No matter which tour you choose: Each of them offers an excellent opportunity to travel through the most beautiful regions of Italy at a slower pace and to take a special look at the country and its special railway history.
Those who like it historical but even more luxurious can soon take a gondola ride through Italy on the Orient Express “La Dolce Vita”, which has also been revived: the French travel group Accor is planning the first tours this year, for example from Rome to Portofino, Siena or Palermo. Instead of 14.50 euros, a ticket there will cost at least 2000 euros.
With curtains and velvet covers: comfortable armchairs in the luxury train
Those: FS Italiane Foundation
Info: Train journey into the past
Die FS Foundation, founded in 2013, maintains and manages the heritage of the Italian State Railways. These include a fleet of 400 historic vehicles, the archives and library, and the National Railway Museum in Pietrarsa, near Naples – it’s right on Italy’s first railway line, inaugurated in 1839.
Another goal of the foundation is to promote the railway heritage tourist offers to make it accessible to a wide audience. These include, on the one hand, the “Binari senza Tempo” (“Timeless Rails”) project, which is reviving around 600 kilometers of disused railway lines (a total of twelve across the country).
become the other Tickets sold for journeys in historical trains, also for the “Arlecchino” – whose next tour is on April 30th from Milan to Brescia (14.50 euros for a single journey). Information and bookings at fondazionefs.it/content/fondazionefs/en/itineraries.html
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