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.
