Italy’s motorways (or autostrade) rarely see much in the way of heavy traffic on regular weekdays or weekends. But that all changes around national public holidays as hundreds of thousands of people take to the road to reach their holiday destinations.
And, as over eight million people in Italy are currently expected to travel over the upcoming Easter long weekend (or ponte), heavy traffic is very likely.
So, here’s what you can expect according to forecasts from the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato).
When is traffic most likely?
Good Friday, which is generally when most people in Italy leave for their Easter getaways, is expected to be marked by heavy traffic with “possible critical conditions” throughout the day.
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Roads are forecast to see some very intense congestion in the morning of Saturday, April 8th too, though overall traffic should slightly improve in the afternoon.
As in previous years, Easter Sunday should be a better day for drivers – most Italians tend to focus on their family lunches rather than travelling on the day. Some roads, however, might still be affected by intense traffic in the morning.
Unsurprisingly, the whole of Easter Monday (or Pasquetta in Italian) is expected to be marked by intense, and possibly critical, congestion.
Many Italians will take a trip out of town (the so-called gita fuori porta) on the day, which is likely to result in heavy traffic on many routes, especially roads connecting big cities to popular seaside or countryside locations
On top of that, Pasquetta officially closes the Easter holidays, which means that many of those who spent the long weekend away from home will likely be making the journey back on Monday afternoon or evening.
Heavy traffic is expected to persist in the morning of Tuesday, April 11th, with the situation forecast to improve just slightly in the afternoon.
Travel on Italian roads should finally return to normal conditions on Wednesday, though some routes may still see some intense traffic in the morning.
Which roads are most likely to see heavy traffic?
Motorways connecting the north of the country to the south are the most likely to experience heavy traffic over the Easter holidays as many Italians will return to their hometowns to spend time with family and friends.
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In particular, Motorway A1, which connects Milan to Naples, and Motorway A14, connecting Bologna to Taranto, are both likely to see sizeable traffic jams over Easter, especially on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
But drivers may also come across heavy traffic on the following routes:
- A4 Turin - Trieste
- A6 Turin - Savona
- A7 Milan - Genoa
- A10 Genoa - Ventimiglia
- A12 Genoa - Rome
- A22 Brenner Pass - Modena
- A24 - A25 Rome - Teramo - Pescara
- A26 Genova - Gravellona Toce
Major state roads (or strade statali in Italian) connecting big cities to popular coastal or countryside locations may be affected by significant congestion, especially on Easter Monday.
Motorway operator Autostrade per l’Italia is expected to release an official list of the roads that are more likely to get busy over the holidays closer to the weekend.
Useful information for travellers
If you’re planning on travelling this weekend, there are a number of resources that you can use to keep up to date with the latest developments on the road.
This online map from Italy’s motorway construction and maintenance company ANAS features live updates on road closures, maintenance work, traffic levels and even weather conditions. The service is also available through their mobile app, ‘VAI’.
Motorway company Autostrade per l’Italia offers a similar live map, showing road closures and traffic jams as well as the locations of the nearest petrol stations and service areas.
The Italian Transport and Infrastructure Ministry's Twitter account gives live updates on the status of the country’s major roads.
Finally, if you want to speak directly to an operator while you’re on the road, you can do so by either contacting ANAS’s customer service at 800 841 148 or using their live chat.
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