New sleeper train takes skiiers from Rome to Dolomites.

Italy is launching a night train between Rome and Cortina d'Ampezzo, a famed ski destination in the Dolomites, as part of a new series of rail routes for tourists.

The service will launch on 15 December, with tickets on sale from 18 November, in time for the ski season in the alpine mountain resort.

The 220-bed train service will operate every weekend until 25 February, with stops along the way at Orte, Orvieto, Treviso, Ponte nelle Alpi and Longarone-Zoldo.

The sleeper trains will leave Rome at 21.40 on Friday night and arrive just before 08.00 the next morning at Calalzo where passengers can make a 50-minute bus journey to Cortina d'Ampezzo.

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The new service is an initiative of FS Treni Turistici Italiani whose CEO Luigi Cantamessa stressed the importance of having "trains as hotels to prove that a holiday by train begins the moment the train leaves the station".

Travellers can choose to travel in single or double bed cabins, which also include dinner and breakfast service, or four or six-person sleepers which can also be reserved for groups.

The Espresso Cadore trains also include a dining car and a bar. 

Access on board the trains will be allowed up to 40 minutes before departure to allow passengers time to consign their luggage, including sports equipment, which will be placed in a dedicated carriage.

For full details on dates and tickets see FS Treni Turistici website. Photo Shutterstock