Most of us associate travel in Italy with fast cars; Alfa Romeos swerving around snaking mountain roads, Porsches coming at you down a city road in formation, or hordes of buzzing Vespas moving in flanking formation around a Roman piazza.

But British travellers are missing a trick if they don't think outside the autostrada and fail to consider train travel as a way to uncover the elegant heart of Italy. So, we decided to put aside years of motoring indoctrination and "do" Italy, as the Americans say, by train, and the romantic way at that - by sleeper.

It all began with the Eurostar from London's Waterloo to Paris, a journey I always enjoy from the chug through Kent, right down to the snippy remarks the French train drivers inevitably make about hitting top speed as soon as you pass through the tunnel.

A desperate taxi ride across Paris later (we were running a bit late), I grabbed my bags and ran into the rather unexciting Paris Bercy thinking the once-a-day sleeper might be just pulling out. Luckily, it was delayed 15 minutes, giving me time to pick up bottles of water, before joining the mass of students and couples piling on to the train.

I like train travel, but I do like to sleep so I had a first-class cabin rather than the more student-dormy second-class accommodation. My super-clean cabin included a compact sofa that the attendant turned into a bed later in the evening.

Tucked away in a corner were a tiny sink, towel, and washing kit. On one of the hottest days of the summer, air-conditioning would have been appreciated, but unlike most Italian expresses the sleeper didn't seem to have any. I did have a huge window though that I could slide open in an attempt to get air in.

After a quick pit-stop for an aperitif in the 1970s-style bar with its plastic bar stools, it was time for dinner in the restaurant. My table of Brits were impressed with the surprisingly excellent three-course meal of Italian dishes, and with waiters doing the whole silver service bit in a rocking carriage.

Plates were filled up with two types of pasta -- one with radicchio, the other with olives -- followed by a nicely grilled fillet of beef. Of course, a bottle of Chianti was essential to encourage the Italian atmosphere to percolate into our pores.

After a leisurely meal it was off to my cabin, where the sofa had been transformed into a comfy bed with ultra white sheets and a blanket I didn't need. The heat of the night oozed in as we swept through the French countryside, and nodding off was tricky. But being awake, I didn't miss the train edging into gorgeous little yellow stone stations, deserted at 2am, except for the night trains, before my eyes eventually closed.

Breakfast of a basic croissant and cup of super-strong coffee was delivered to my bed in the morning. Sleepy-eyed, despite the caffeine, I woke slowly to an eyeful of green Tuscan fields and red-yellow stone buildings, followed by long stretches of Umbrian countryside without a home or a car to be seen. It was like inhaling a lungful of pure oxygen, the air tasting as if it had been through a washing machine after London's grimy stuff.

Finally, around 10am, the sleeper pulled into Rome Termini station, far closer to everything important than either of the city's airports, and tipped me out into another sun-warmed world, where I followed elegant business executives in Gucci suits and sharply ironed shirts wheeling bags along the platform into the scorching sunshine and the pleasures of the taxi queue.

Later in the week, after enjoying the grandeur of Roman historical sites and plenty of its finest cuisine, I headed off on another train journey. This time I took the sharp-nosed Eurostar Italia, one of Italy's fastest expresses, on a smooth zip from Rome to Milan, five hours of air-conditioned comfort from one city centre to another, shaving masses of time off the road journey and saving me a bundle. Train prices are low in Italy, while petrol prices are firmly at the top of the European table. I eased into our comfy seats, blissfully resting my weary feet and sleepily admired the autostrada from afar.

Top tips

Opt for an Italian train pass instead of point-to-point tickets. A four-day first class pass costs £158 and second class £109. The four days do not have to be consecutive, but must be taken within a two-month period.

Look out for special fare deals, particularly in the summer, on the Trenitalia website.

Always punch your ticket at yellow dating machines in stations before boarding or face a fine.

Watch out for taxi drivers who don't turn on their meters at Rome Termini station.

Pick up a picnic to take with you on the journey. Even on the smartest trains the food and the sandwiches are surprising poor, especially for Italy, while little cafes at stations often provide delicious panini (sandwiches) to take away.

Great Italian train journeys

Italy's hundreds of kilometres of rail track weaves its way from the top of the boot in the mountain passes down to the sunny southern reaches, wriggling its toe in the Med at Messina, where the ferry chugs off to Sicily. Here are a few special ones:

Florence to Venice: You shouldn't miss your arrival in Venice by train as it sweeps across the Lido (don't get out at Venice Mestre station by mistake). Taking the train to Venice is the best way to travel as this is certainly not a city for cars.

Siena to Orvieto: Inch across painterly landscapes of Tuscan and Umbrian landscapes on a slow train that gives you plenty of time to watch and breathe. Orvieto has a wonderful cable car that delivers you from the station into the centre of the ancient town.

• () Genoa to La Spezia via Monterosso: Idle along the coast to the beautiful villages of the Cinque Terre on the edge of the Ligurian Sea; most have train stations. The Cinque Terre rail pass also gives access to the Cinque Terre national park. Fortezza to San Candido: Enjoy an injection of mountain air and glimpses of the ragged edges of the snow-capped Dolomites on these stunning mountain passes. Useful phrases: Un biglietto a ticket Solo andata single Andata e ritorno return Prima/seconda classe first/second class Scusi, dove la stazione? Where is the station? Il prossimo treno per the next train for ... Binario platform Need to know The sleeper train from Paris to Rome leaves at 19.09 and arrives at 10.06 in Rome. Sleepers from Paris also go to Turin, Milan, Florence and Venice. Prices range from E100 to E310. Useful websites www.trenitalia.com, www.simplyrail.com, www.enit.it (Italian Tourist Office)

Times recommends

• Oasis of the Seas: the Times review
• The 20 best new year party places to stay
• Green Spaces 2009: are you the winning writer?