All aboard the Sicilia Express: Italy's new sleeper train whisking homesick Sicilians home for Xmas

Homesick Sicilians have an affordable and sustainable new way to get home for Christmas this year: the Sicilia Express.

The sleeper train has been organised for "workers or students...who wish to reach their loved ones to spend the Christmas holidays together" Sicily's regional president Renato Schifani said.

The Sicilia Express will leave Turin in northern Italy just before Christmas, on 21 December, and travel overnight to the island in the south. It will then return to Turin on 5 January, just before the Epiphany which is a bank holiday in Italy.

Many Sicilians, especially young people, move to northern Italy for better work opportunities. But flights between north and south Italy can be expensive, making frequent travel home difficult.

Siclia Express: No ordinary sleeper train

FS Treni Turistici Italiani are pulling out all the stops to make the 18-hour journey an unforgettable one.

"The experience on board the train will be enriched by the presence of well-known personalities who will narrate the journey to Sicily," according to the Sicilia Express website.

The train will have two dining cars which promise to serve traditional Sicilian foods.

Passengers won't get bored either, with "masterclasses, artistic performances and the participation of influencers and well-known personalities from the Sicilian scene" to entertain them.

How much are Sicilia Express tickets and when do they go onsale?

Ticket prices are very reasonable, starting at €29.90 one way if you're prepared to sit upright in a seat.

If you prefer more comfort, it's €129.90 for your own sleeper compartment.

Tickets go onsale on 3 December on the FS Treni Turistici website or from train station ticket offices.

How much are internal flights in Italy?

At the start of November, an Italian newspaper found return flights from Bergamo, near Milan, to Catania in Sicily cost €716.

If booked far enough in advance a traveller could fly all the way to the US for the same money.

To help with costs, the Sicilian government has a scheme which subsidises domestic flights. Residents of the island can claim back 25 per cent of the cost of flights, or 50 per cent in December and January.