Friday, October 06, 2006

Orient Express Milan – Dinner in a Tram

A night out on the town takes on a whole new meaning starting October 16, 2006. ATM, the municipal public transportation company of Milan, initiates service of a full service restaurant in a TRAM (that is a cable car). Trams have long been a tradition in Milan and were, until recently, the primary system of public transportation. Hundreds of people squished into a car made for half the number. People hanging off the doors that cannot close during rush hour are all images vivid in my mind. At the same time I remember watching peacefully the beautiful buildings, parks and the lights of the city when traveling outside the morning and evening rush.


Restaurants have long been part of train service and large boat excursions both on the lakes and the sea but this is the first time I have seen a restaurant in a functioning tram. Every evening at 8:00 pm the tram leaves Piazza Castello and embarks on a 2 ½ hour long journey through the night of Milan. Menus based on both meat and fish are available and it is a full course dinner including wine. This puts a whole new perspective on drinking and driving!

This is an exclusive engagement and seating must be reserved in advance. The cost is 50 Euro per person. Thinking just about dinner, this could be considered a bit expensive, but combine the entertainment of an exclusive view of Milan by Night and this elegant evening is a pretty good deal. Think of this as a trip on the Orient Express through the inner city of Milan. Certainly for those with a tight schedule an evening on the tram can be a unique experience.

The menu is complete from appetizer to dessert:
- Appetizer
- First course
- Second course and side dish
- Dessert
- Cafe' with chocolates
- Bottled water and a bottle of wine for every two people.

If the house wine does not meet your taste you can order a wine from the wine list at extra cost.

Once you have confirmed reservations you should be at the departure point at least 10 minutes early to confirm menu’ choice and to choose your table.

Reservations can be made by calling the ATM toll free number: 800.80.81.81.

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14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

50 euro per person doesn't really sound that bad for something like that. I would love to do that for dinner. If I ever make it to Milan ...

3:03 PM

 
Blogger Travel Italy said...

Jennifer It is about 10 Euro more than the average price. This is an interesting idea and I hear the reservations are coming in fast and furious.

4:22 PM

 
Blogger Alfonso Cevola said...

What a great idea!
T.I. - how do you do it?
you da man!

6:41 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WoW! I'd love to do that ... just got to tansport myself to Milan now!

4:21 AM

 
Blogger Travel Italy said...

IWG I loved this as soon as I heard of it! This is going to be fun.

Dianne I know it sounds difficult but shortly airline prices will drop. You can find a roundtrip from the US to Europe for about 650$... Perhaps a romantic weekend with your hubby!

6:33 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, we've had a Tram restaurant in Melbourne for more than 20 years. It's very popular and bookings need to be made months ahead. I've never dined on it myself.

6:48 PM

 
Blogger RennyBA said...

Sound like a wonderful way to travel by tram - how excotic and exclusive. We have nothing like that in Norway, but it would have been great to do it in Oslo. I'm tempted and would love to do that trip in Milan with my wife one day. Thanks for sharing!

1:38 PM

 
Blogger Travel Italy said...

Lexcen I guess that is another thing I need to do when I visit Australia.

Renny Sounds like you will need to reserve in advance. When I heard about this I thought, "Oh, that's pretty cool!"

6:12 AM

 
Blogger a.c.t. said...

I didn't know about this. 50 Euro is very reasonable. I love trams, espacially the traditional wooden orange ones. When I went to Milan last spring I was very disappointed to see that they are being phased out fro more modern versions.

8:33 AM

 
Blogger Travel Italy said...

ACT This is a newbie! They were executing test runs and the PR campaigns during my last trip.

Yes, "It is a bum life to have to try out these new ideas..."

It is definitely worth the 50 Euro!

8:53 AM

 
Blogger Doll Face said...

Very cute! They have the same thing in Melbourne, people usually go to 'propose' :-)

8:07 PM

 
Blogger Travel Italy said...

Natalie Interesting, I hope the one in Milan does not meet this end. I think it is a great opportunity to see Milan by Night in a way that would be difficult otherwise.

8:04 AM

 
Blogger Travel Italy said...

AY The food is actually pretty good on the Milan Tram and the neat idea is that there are only 8 tables and tram travels different routes.

7:05 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sounds "meriviglioso", I hope one day that they will add a vegetarian menu.

7:52 AM

 

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