Rome’s ordinarily unremarkable Ostiense train station took on an unexpected modernist glamour when a host ushered me into a private waiting room and served a glass of Champagne with hot hors d’oeuvres. I’d arrived on a sunny June morning to board the new La Dolce Vita Orient Express for a two-night round-trip tour from Rome to Venice and Portofino. Twelve different itineraries are currently offered, including an autumn truffle-themed jaunt to Piedmont, two golf routes and two forays into Sicily. I chose this trip to see how the company would handle places that I know extremely well (and love).

Ever since the first Orient Express train pulled out of Paris’s Gare de l’Est station in 1883, this travel marque has epitomized the mystique of riding the rails. Relaunched in 1982 as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, it was eventually acquired by Belmond, a hotel and hospitality company owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). Belmond is unaffiliated with La Dolce Vita Orient Express, which is operated by French hotel brand Accor, but somewhat confusingly, LVMH is an investor.

My traveling companion was not a train buff like I am and had chosen to stay behind in Rome, which fortuitously meant that I was traveling with a single carry-on bag. Neither the 75-square-foot Deluxe Cabins nor the 118-square-foot Suites have much room for luggage. While listening to live jazz in the stylish lounge while waiting to board, I fell into conversation with a couple from Connecticut. They told me they’d chosen the train because it would offer them the pleasure of gazing out the window at a variety of beautiful Italian landscapes without the stress of Italian driving.

A friendly porter came to escort me to my cabin, and as I reached the red-carpet-lined platform, I got my first glimpse of the train. The 12 striking carriages — painted a dapper navy blue with coffee-colored trim and enhanced by brass-framed windows — contain a dining car, a bar car and 31 accommodations. It was a relief to find my cabin so pleasantly cool when I stepped inside on a wiltingly hot day. (I’d been warily remembering another luxury train that had only small, wispy ceiling fans.)

My Suite had two picture windows and was large enough that the double bed wouldn’t need to be folded up and converted into a couch during the day, as in a Deluxe. A writing desk with two chairs and a dark-gray settee also fit in the space. Built-ins flanked a heavy door that led to a tiny bath with a WC, a single vanity and a stall shower. This was a very chic accommodation, and after seeing a diminutive (if cleverly designed) Deluxe, I was glad I’d plumped for a Suite.

I noted the remarkable detailing of the cabin, and my steward told me that the train was made entirely in Italy. The overall look had a retro sensibility that very much echoed “La Dolce Vita,” both Federico Fellini’s 1960 film and the glamour of Rome during that decade. After I unpacked, I met up with the couple from Hartford for the first lunch service in the restaurant car (it’s better to request the more relaxed second seating at lunch and dinner).

The restaurant had a jaunty décor that reminded me of the work of the famous Italian designer Gio Ponti, with tobacco-leather tub chairs at white linen-draped tables. All three of us were delighted by the delicious menu designed by Rome-based Michelin three-star chef Heinz Beck. It included succulent amberjack with zucchini, almonds and saffron; smoked gnocchi with shellfish and charred cherry tomatoes; pistachio-crusted veal fillet; and a creamy dessert of milk, caramel and licorice. Excellent Italian wines accompanied each course.

After I had a nap, La Dolce Vita offered up a perfect cameo visit to Venice, where a water taxi took us from the train to Piazza San Marco. Here we had Aperol spritzes in the opulent Caffè Florian before a private tour of the Fortuny Museum and dinner at Harry’s Bar. The atmosphere in the bar car was convivial late into the evening, and the train gently slipped out of the station around midnight en route to Portofino.

Mornings brought the acrobatic experience of using the minute bath. It’s a luxury to have a private WC and shower in a train cabin, especially considering that the original Orient Express cars had only sinks in the compartments and shared commodes at each end of the car. On the other hand, this small space wasn’t as well-designed as the rest of the Suite; I’d have rearranged its elements.

Our second day out was as well curated as our first. I joined a small group for a morning tour of the stunningly beautiful coastline around Portofino. We made a stop to visit the pretty little village of Camogli, another one for anyone who wanted to swim and a third for a delicious Ligurian lunch in a restaurant overlooking the beach of San Fruttuoso. The final disembarkation was in iconic Portofino itself. Combined, the quick excursions perfectly encapsulated the Ligurian Riviera. (In both Venice and Portofino, various guided activities were available.)

Given the complexities of luxury train travel, La Dolce Vita Orient Express, which launched in April, is delivering an exceedingly comfortable and original way to experience Italy, with commendable service and outstanding cuisine. The revivified Orient Express brand is one to watch.