Autostrade of Italy

The Autostrada is the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about 6,400 km. In North and Central Italy this is mainly as tollways, with the biggest portion in concession to the Autostrade Group which operates some 3,408 km. Other operators include ASTM and ATP in the north-west, Serenissima and Autovie Venete in the north-east, SALT and Autocisa in the center.

Italy was the first country in the world to start building motorways, i.e. fast roads reserved to motor vehicles. The "Milano-Laghi" motorway (connecting Milan to the lakes of Como and Varese) was in fact devised by Piero Puricelli, a civil engineer and entrepreneur, who received the first authorizations to build a "public utilty" fast road in 1921, and completed the construction (back then one lane per direction was enough) between 1924 and 1926. The motorways were touted by Mussolini as one of the great achievements of his regime and the proof of its commitment to progress and modernization, whereas the original idea was earlier. Lore has that the US government conceived an Interstate Highway System, to supplant the previous US roads network, when officials visited the Italian motorways in the late 1930s.

Italy's Autostrade have one of the highest speed limits in Europe, excluding the German Autobahns, the standard for cars being at 130 km/h (~80 mph). Limits for other vehicles are lower. There are legal provisions enabling the operators to set the limit to 150 km/h on their concessions on a voluntary basis, only if some conditions are met (no curves, three lanes in each direction, good weather, daylight).

List of current motorways

* A1 Milan - Naples (known as "Autostrada del Sole", Motorway of the Sun)
* (A2 designation has been retired)
* A3 Naples - Salerno - Reggio Calabria
* A4 Turin - Trieste (the Brescia-Venice segment known as "Serenissima", The Most Serene)
* A5 Turin - Aosta - Monte Bianco (connecting to France through Mont Blanc Tunnel; known as "Autostrada della Valle d'Aosta", Motorway of Aosta Valley)
* A6 Turin - Savona (known as "Verdemare", The Seagreen)
* A7 Milan - Genoa (known as "Serravalle")
* A8 Varese - Milan (known as "Autostrada dei Laghi", Motorway of the Lakes)
* A9 Lainate - Como - Chiasso (connecting to Switzerland; part of "Autostrada dei Laghi")
* A10 Genoa - Ventimiglia (connecting to France; known as "Autostrada dei Fiori", Motorway of the Flowers)
* A11 Florence - Pisa Nord (known as "Firenze-Mare", Florence-Sea)
* A12 Genoa - Rosignano Marittimo / Civitavecchia - Rome (known as "Autostrada Azzurra", Blue Motorway), composed of two unconnected parts
* A13 Padova - Bologna
* A14 Bologna - Taranto (known as "Autostrada Adriatica", Adriatic Motorway)
* A15 Parma - La Spezia (known as "Autocamionale della Cisa", Motorway of the Cisa Pass)
* A16 Naples - Canosa (known as "Autostrada dei Due Mari", Motorway of the Two Seas)
* (A17 designation has been retired)
* A18 Messina - Catania
* A19 Palermo - Catania
* A20 Messina - Palermo
* A21 Turin - Brescia (known as "Autostrada dei Vini", Motorway of the Wines)
* A22 Brennero - Modena (connecting to Austria; known as "Autostrada del Brennero", Motorway of Brennero)
* A23 Palmanova - Tarvisio (connecting to Austria; known as "Autostrada Alpe-Adria", Motorway of Alps-Adria)
* A24 Rome - L'Aquila - Teramo (known as "Autostrada dei Parchi", Motorway of the Parks)
* A25 Pescara - Torano
* A26 Genoa (Voltri) - Gravellona Toce (known as "Autostrada dei Trafori", Motorway of the Tunnels)
* A27 Venice - Belluno
* A28 Conegliano - Portogruaro
* A29 Palermo - Mazara del Vallo
* A30 Caserta - Salerno
* A31 Piovene Rocchette - Vicenza (known as "Autostrada della Val d'Astico", Motorway of Astico Valley)
* A32 Turin - Bardonecchia (connecting to France via Fréjus Road Tunnel; known as "Autostrada del Frejus", Motorway of the Frejus)
* A33 Asti - Cuneo (under construction, but partly opened)

Until 1990, the designation A1 only referred to the Milan-Rome segment of the current A1, the Rome-Naples segment was known as A2. After a direct connection was built bypassing Rome, the designation A2 was retired and now the A1 designation refers to the whole route. The leftover connections to the "Grande Raccordo Anulare" (Great Ring Road, around Rome) were designated as "raccordi" (see later).Until 1973, the designation A17 referred to the current A16, and the segment Canosa-Bari of the current A14.

List of "tangenziali" (bypass roads around big cities)

* A50 Tangenziale Ovest di Milano (west bypass road, Milan)
* A51 Tangenziale Est di Milano (east bypass road, Milan)
* A52 Tangenziale Nord di Milano (north bypass road, Milan)
* A53 Raccordo Bereguardo-Pavia (connection between Pavia and motorway A7)
* A54 Tangenziale di Pavia
* A55 Tangenziale Nord di Torino e Tangenziale Sud di Torino (north and south bypass roads, Turin)
* A56 Tangenziale di Napoli
* A90 Grande Raccordo Anulare di Roma (Great Ring Road of Rome)
* A91 Roma - Fiumicino Aeroporto

List of "bretelle" and "raccordi autostradali"

"Bretelle" are connections between two motorways, "raccordi" are connections between motorways and important cities without a motorway.
* Raccordo Autostradale Firenze-Siena (aka "Autopalio", connecting Siena to motorway A1 towards Milan)
* Raccordo Autostradale Firenze-Pisa-Livorno (aka "FiPiLi" alternate route from Florence to the Tirrenian Sea)
* Raccordo Autostradale Siena-Bettolle (connecting Siena to motorway A1 towards Rome)
* Raccordo Autostradale Perugia-Bettolle (connecting Perugia to motorway A1)
* Bretella Lucca-Viareggio (between A11 and A12)
* Bretella Santhià-Stroppiana (between A4 and A26, formerly part of A26)
* Bretella Santhià-Ivrea (between A4 and A5)
* Bretella Tortona-Novi Ligure (between A7 and A26)
* Raccordo Autostradale Ferrara-Porto Garibaldi (connecting A13 to Porto Garibaldi on the Adriatic Sea)
* Bretella Gallarate-Gattico (between A8 and A26)
* Raccordo Autostradale Alcamo-Aeroporto di Trapani-Birgi (between Trapani and A29)
* Raccordo Autostradale Solarolo-Ravenna (between Ravenna and A14)

ee also

*Transport in Italy

External links

* [http://www.autostrade.it Official website of Autostrade (the main operator) in Italian]
* [http://www.autostrade.it/en/index.html Official website of Autostrade (the main operator) in English]
* [http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/autostrada.htm Travel guide in English]