On July 23, 1960, crowds gathered at the Bologna Train Station to witness the maiden journey of a brand new electric train, the ETR 250 “Arlecchino.”
The four-carriage, first-class only convoy was a thing to behold: It featured a striking gray-green magnolia livery, sinuous lines, and two belvedere— panoramic viewpoints—from which travelers could watch the sweeping landscape as if they were at the cinema.
Its interiors, conceived by star architect Giò Ponti and designer Giulio Minoletti, piqued people’s curiosity, too. Chic and avant-garde, they boasted plush velvet seats in a range of vibrant colors (hence the name: Arlecchino is one of the main stock characters of the Italian commedia dell'arte, known for wearing multi-colored patches all over his costume), faux leather walls, and a futuristic-looking bar area where uniformed staff would serve coffee in dainty ceramic cups.
On October 3, 2020, the scene in Bologna was pretty much the same—bar the myriad of smartphones snapping photos—as was the train. Sixty-one years after that initial ride, the Arlecchino was back on the tracks again, relaunched as the first vintage luxury train in Italy that is an experience in and of itself. Tickets for that first trip sold out in less than 48 hours.
“It’s a momentous comeback,” says Luigi Cantamessa, general manager of Fondazione FS, the institution behind the revival. “For many, the Arlecchino was a symbol of ‘Made in Italy’ and the country’s post-war economic boom. It was also a special train because it was built to mark the Olympics Games, which were held in Rome in the summer of 1960. To see it return on our railway network makes us very proud.”
The project has been two decades in the making. After it was retired in 1986, the Arlecchino had been left to rot and rust in a warehouse. Then, in 2009, Cantamessa—who had just joined the Ferrovie dello Stato (the Italian State Railways) as an engineer at the time—decided to go look for it and bring it back to life with the help of a small team. “I still remember the acrid smell from the moldy velvet when we first stepped on the train,” he recalls. “The whole thing was in really bad shape.”
The train was moved to a different warehouse, where mechanics got to work on its engine, electric systems, and technical equipment. Once that was taken care of, Cantamessa and his entourage began exploring the more complicated aspect of recreating its design elements. “We turned to the archives of Fondazione FS to get our hands on the original sketches and photos of the interiors and exterior,” says Cantamessa. “The idea was always to restore the four coaches to their original conditions—velvets included. We wanted the Arlecchino to look just like it did in 1960.”
They nailed it. From the livery to the seats, the flooring to the coffee maker, everything onboard the "new" Arlecchino is an exact replica of the 1960s train. Even the service has been revived: The barmen serve expertly brewed espressos in the same ceramic cups, and the coach attendants, dressed in the same retro uniforms, are ready to cater to every passenger's needs. The only ‘update’ is the addition of a few modern amenities, like plugs for your laptop and USB chargers for your phone. And, importantly, the train has been engineered to reach high speeds to compete with its contemporary counterparts.
“We went through all the technological makeovers and testing to ensure the Arlecchino can travel alongside the rest of our modern fleet,” says Cantamessa. “Now, we’re ready to launch it across the country.”
While its full schedule will soon be available on Trenitalia.com, don’t expect the Arlecchino to replace your regular Frecciarossa (Italy’s high-speed trains) though: given its age and the maintenance it requires, the colorful train will hit the tracks only two weekends a month, and all journeys will end in a main metropolitan hub—Rome, Milan, Turin or Venice.
It also won’t travel on regular routes. Instead, the train will service citta d’arte, riding along the most scenic routes of the peninsula’s extensive railway network. “This is a unique train, and as such it deserves to ride on the most beautiful, culturally relevant and panoramic of our railway lines,” says Cantamessa. “We’ll also use it for cultural events, so that it’ll be able to take groups of travelers to festivals, exhibitions, and fairs from north to south.”
As for the price of traveling in what’s essentially a time capsule, Cantamessa says tickets will be around 30 percent more expensive than what you’d pay for a business class on a Frecciarossa—which is not bad considering how much more of a glamorous leisure train service you’ll be getting.
The Arlecchino is just the first of a number of historical electric trains in Italy that are being refitted for the modern-day traveler. Next up will be its predecessor, the ETR 300 Settebello, class of 1953. Even more luxurious than the Arlecchino and with seven carriages instead of four, it is currently being restored to join its younger sibling along the same scenic routes. Other trains, including the 1957’s ETR 220 and the 1988’s ETR 450 Pendolino, will follow suit.
“The goal is to build a fleet of vintage trains to promote a slow tourism model,” says Cantamessa. “We want to create a new way of discovering not just our territory, but also a big part of our collective heritage. These gems made history. Now, they’ll do it all over again.”
