From Rome to Sicily (or Sicily to Rome): Rome – Maratea – Taormina – Palermo
Rome → Maratea → Taormina → Palermo (or reverse)
The Rome to Sicily journey aboard La Dolce Vita Orient Express is one of Italy's most cinematic rail experiences — a one-way odyssey that sweeps south from the Eternal City through the unspoiled Tyrrhenian coast of Basilicata, crosses the legendary Strait of Messina aboard a train ferry, and arrives in the sun-drenched, ancient heart of Sicily. Spreading across three days and two nights, this itinerary is offered in both directions: Rome to Palermo, and Palermo to Rome — each revealing a subtly different rhythm of Italy.
What sets this route apart is the sheer variety of landscape and civilisation compressed into 48 hours on the rails: baroque Rome gives way to the rugged cliffs of Maratea, the so-called Pearl of Basilicata, before the train is decoupled and loaded onto a Sicilian Channel ferry — one of the last remaining train-ferry crossings in Western Europe — and continues to clifftop Taormina, with its ancient Greek theatre commanding views of Etna and the Ionian Sea, then on to Palermo, a city shaped by 2,700 years of Arab, Norman, Spanish and Italian rule. Throughout, three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck orchestrates every meal, and the carriages — inspired by Italian mid-century design — provide a glamorous, intimate home for the journey.
Guests are met at Rome Ostiense station at the exclusive La Dolce Vita lounge before boarding, with dedicated stewards, live music in the Bar Car each evening, and the option to add curated off-train experiences at both Maratea and Taormina. Whether you travel south toward Sicily or north toward Rome, this itinerary is a love letter to the Mezzogiorno — the Italian south — in all its wild, storied, delicious splendour.
- ✦Train-ferry crossing of the Strait of Messina — one of the last in Western Europe
- ✦Taormina's ancient Greek theatre with its backdrop of Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea
- ✦Maratea: the hidden Pearl of Basilicata and its towering Cristo Redentore statue
- ✦All meals by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck using seasonal Italian produce
- ✦Palermo's UNESCO Arab-Norman monuments, markets, and street-food culture
- ✦Optional Mount Etna jeep excursion or Castelmola tour with cannolo-making masterclass
- ✦Luxurious cabins and Suites inspired by Italian mid-century design, with live Bar Car entertainment
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Rome Ostiense & Maratea
The journey begins at Roma Ostiense station, where guests are welcomed into the private La Dolce Vita departure lounge before boarding the beautifully restored carriages. As the train pulls out of the city, Italy's countryside unfolds beyond the window — the rolling green of Lazio, the dramatic limestone gorges of Campania, and finally the wilder, emptier landscapes of Basilicata. Gourmet lunch is served in the Restaurant Car shortly after departure, a seasonal Italian menu prepared by Chef Heinz Beck (three Michelin stars, La Pergola, Rome), paired with fine Italian wines.
In the afternoon the train draws into Maratea — one of Italy's least-visited coastal jewels and a deliberate choice for a journey that prizes the undiscovered. Time is given to step off the train and explore at leisure, or guests may choose an optional curated experience: a visit to the monumental Cristo Redentore di Maratea, the 21-metre-tall Christ the Redeemer statue perched atop Monte San Biagio, with panoramic views over the Tyrrhenian coast, followed by a guided tour of the Basilica of San Biagio and regional aperitivo at the legendary Hotel Santavenere. As the Mediterranean light fades, guests reboard for an elegant dinner in the Restaurant Car, accompanied by live music in the Bar Car.
Day 2 — The Strait of Messina Ferry & Taormina
After breakfast served in the cabin or the Restaurant Car — a leisurely Italian spread of pastries, cheeses, cured meats and freshly brewed espresso — comes the day's signature spectacle: the train is brought to a halt, decoupled into sections, and loaded carriage-by-carriage onto a train ferry to cross the Strait of Messina. This extraordinary procedure, one of the last train-ferry crossings in Western Europe, links the Italian mainland at Villa San Giovanni to the island of Sicily at Messina, and guests are free to step out onto the ferry deck to watch the crossing and take in the view of the strait — less than 3 kilometres at its narrowest — with the Calabrian mountains behind and the Sicilian shoreline ahead.
Once in Sicily, the train continues along the island's northeastern coast to Taormina-Giardini station, gateway to one of Europe's most dramatically situated small towns. Guests disembark for an afternoon in Taormina — perched on a terrace of Monte Tauro at 200 metres above the Ionian Sea. The town's showpiece is the Teatro Antico di Taormina, a 3rd-century BC Greek theatre later remodelled by the Romans, whose open stage frames a breathtaking view of the Bay of Naxos and snow-dusted Mount Etna in the distance. The Corso Umberto, the pedestrian main street, is lined with baroque palaces, boutiques, and the terraced gardens of the Villa Comunale. Optional curated experiences include a guided tour of Castelmola and Taormina with a cannolo-making masterclass, or a half-day Mount Etna jeep excursion with a volcanologist. After sunset, guests reboard for dinner and an evening of live music in the Bar Car as the train continues south overnight toward Palermo.
Day 3 — Palermo
The train glides into Palermo Centrale in the morning, ending the journey in Sicily's magnificent, chaotic, deeply storied capital. Guests travelling Rome to Palermo disembark here; those on the reverse itinerary begin their journey at Palermo and end in Rome, experiencing this stop as a departing morning. Palermo rewards even a few hours of pre- or post-journey exploration: the Arab-Norman Cathedral (Cattedrale di Palermo, begun 1184), the gilded Byzantine mosaics of the Palatine Chapel inside the Norman Palace, the baroque Quattro Canti crossroads at the city's historic heart, and the three legendary street markets — Ballarò, Capo and Vucciria — where the city's street-food culture (arancini, panelle, sfincione) plays out in centuries-old surroundings. Palermo's Arab-Norman monuments are collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Destinations & Highlights
Maratea, Basilicata
Known as the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian and the City of 44 Churches, Maratea is one of southern Italy's best-kept secrets — a small coastal town in the region of Basilicata that clings to steep cliffs above 30 kilometres of pristine coastline. Virtually unknown outside Italy, it draws those who seek the authentic Mezzogiorno: ancient stone lanes, fishing villages, and a silence that larger resorts have long since lost. The town's defining landmark is the Cristo Redentore di Maratea, a 21-metre white marble statue of Christ the Redeemer sculpted by Bruno Innocenti in the 1960s and standing on the peak of Monte San Biagio — the fifth-tallest Christ statue in the world by some measures, with arm-spans of 19 metres and views extending across the Gulf of Policastro. Adjacent is the Basilica of San Biagio, Maratea's patron church, built on the ruins of a pagan temple. Below, the shoreline offers more than 20 beaches ranging from fine sand to rocky coves, and the five-star Hotel Santavenere has defined understated Tyrrhenian luxury since 1956.
The Strait of Messina
The crossing of the Strait of Messina is one of the journey's most memorable moments — both practically and historically. Less than 3 kilometres wide at its narrowest point between Villa San Giovanni in Calabria and Messina in Sicily, the strait is one of the most strategically significant waterways in Mediterranean history, separating mainland Italy from the island since ancient times. The train-ferry crossing, in which individual carriages are loaded onto a purpose-built ferry vessel, is a vanishing tradition in European rail travel, making the La Dolce Vita experience both romantic and rare. From the deck, passengers can watch the twin coastlines converge, with the Aspromonte mountains of Calabria behind and Sicily's Peloritani mountains ahead.
Taormina, Sicily
Taormina has been drawing aristocrats, writers and artists since the 19th century, when Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and later D. H. Lawrence, Oscar Wilde and Truman Capote all fell under its spell. Perched at 200 metres on a rocky terrace of Monte Tauro above the Ionian Sea, the town looks out across one of the most arresting panoramas in the Mediterranean: the Bay of Naxos, the strait, and the brooding summit of Mount Etna (3,357 m), Europe's largest active volcano. The Teatro Antico di Taormina — begun by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and substantially enlarged by the Romans — is the town's crown jewel: a semicircular theatre 120 metres wide whose stone cavea frames a perfect picture of sea and volcano. Today it hosts an internationally acclaimed summer arts festival. Beyond the theatre, the Corso Umberto leads past baroque piazzas, the Duomo di San Nicolò and the Villa Comunale gardens, with their famous belvedere over the coast.
Palermo, Sicily
Palermo is one of the Mediterranean's great cities — a layered, sensory, intellectually dense capital that has been shaped by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish and Italians across 2,700 years. The result is a unique architectural hybrid best expressed in its Arab-Norman monuments, collectively listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015: the 12th-century Cathedral, the Norman Palace and its dazzling Palatine Chapel (Cappella Palatina) with Byzantine-Arabic mosaics that rank among the finest in the world, and the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti with its distinctive red domes. Palermo's street life is equally vivid: the three great markets — Ballarò, Capo and Vucciria — are among the most atmospheric in Europe, alive with vendors selling fresh swordfish, blood oranges, arancini, panelle (chickpea fritters) and sfincione (Sicilian pizza). The Baroque crossroads of Quattro Canti, where Corso Vittorio Emanuele meets Via Maqueda, marks the symbolic centre of this endlessly rewarding city.