Hi Matthias, I very well understand your "astonishment"
However I'd like to point out a few things:
1. Even in Italy and, believe me or not, even in Sicily we could load our tandem on a train ... without necessarily disassembling it!
2. Our tandem is a Koga "foldable" type so we've normally no problems to load it on a train, or in the booth of the car ... or on the usual tow-hook bicycle rack
3. In this specific occasion, however, on the 17th there was a train personnel strike ... so, with a huge pacience, we couldn't take the train from Pisogne to Edolo and finally resolved to leave the car in Pisogne and take 3=THREE buses up to Passo del Tonale where we had parked the car three days before. A bit complicate ... but absolutely worthwhile!!!!