Italy is known all over the world for the variety of its landscapes, but there’s one element that’s consistently the same when driving from north to south: the 'autogrill'.
‘Autogrill’ is the name Italians use to refer to all motorway service stations, with the name stemming from the Milan-based Autogrill company, the major industry operator - though other companies exist.
You’d be wrong to think of autogrills merely as stazioni di servizio. They’re nothing short of a cultural institution in Italy and have been inextricably linked to the experience of driving in the country for over 60 years now.
Service station meets grocery store meets restaurant
Depending on where you were born and raised, you may think of service stations as nothing more than roadside facilities allowing motorists to refuel their cars, go to the toilet and chomp on the odd packaged snack.
Italian autogrills are quite different. All have a bar serving hot beverages and fresh pastry as well as a separate counter offering a variety of sandwiches and panini.
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Customers fancying a proper meal can also choose from a selection of primi and secondi (first or second courses) and eat at a sit-down restaurant.
But their most unique feature is the market area, where you’ll find anything from cured meats and dried sausages to cheeses and bread. Most also have a large selection of domestic wines, including some very fine bottles for the most refined palates.
Hung jury over food quality
There are huge differences in opinion over the overall quality of autogrill grub, with some dismissing it as glorified junk food and others impressed by its freshness and flavour.
Generally speaking, visitors from countries like the UK and the US often rave about the quality of autogrill fare, especially when it comes to their panini and pastries.
But Italians often go ‘meh’ over it, with many thinking that autogrills’ reputation as suppliers of good-quality food is largely overblown.
To add the umpteenth personal opinion to the dispute, the Italian writing this article thinks autogrill food is actually decent and often looked down on for no other reason than prejudice.
That said, one thing most Italians, myself included, seem to agree on is that the coffee is pretty bad.
Everything is overpriced
As the food quality dispute rages on, public opinion has long reached a consensus here: pretty much anything sold at an autogrill is overpriced, with most items being at least 20 to 30 percent more expensive than they are in regular shops.
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For instance, a 0.45-litre bottle of Coke generally costs around 3.50 euros at an autogrill, while the price is between 2.50 and 3 euros in other shops around the country.
What about the toilets?
Now, onto the main reason many motorists make a pit stop at a service station in the first place.
You can never be quite sure of what you’re going to come across when using an autogrill toilet. You may be lucky and find yourself a squeaky-clean cubicle, or you may not. Around Italy’s biggest holidays, you may also find long queues out of the restroom.
For a quieter, perhaps cleaner option, The Local’s writers suggest using the toilets at the petrol station usually found next to the autogrill.
You’ll find some autogrills over the motorway you’re driving on
Some Italian autogrills are perched over motorway lanes in what’s generally called a struttura a ponte (‘bridge structure’).
These branches have restaurants that look out directly on the road below, making for decent views at dawn and dusk.
A place where memories are made
It may be a down-to-the-wire mission to reach the toilets in time, or an oddly romantic dinner with their partner after a long holiday, but every Italian seems to have at least one story involving an autogrill.
Whether that be because of any inherent special quality or simply because they are the alpha and omega of all Italian road trips, Italian service stations are known ironically as places where unforgettable travel memories are made.
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