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DRIVING

TRAFFIC: The busiest times to drive in Italy over Easter weekend

As over eight million people prepare for an Easter getaway, drivers on Italian roads are set to face heavy traffic over the long weekend. Here’s what you need to know.

Published: 4 April 2023 15:50 CEST
Updated: 7 April 2023 10:50 CEST
Heavy traffic on motorway
Italy's motorways rarely see much in the way of heavy traffic but that usually changes around public holidays, including Easter. Photo by Jean-Philippe KSIAZEK / AFP

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. 

READ ALSO: WEATHER: Italy braced for wet and chilly Easter weekend

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.

Traffic road calendar for Easter

Official road traffic forecasts from Italy’s Polizia di Stato.

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.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Will there be any strikes in Italy over Easter?

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. 

Aerial view of Italian motorway

Motorways connecting the north of Italy to the south are generally the most likely to experience heavy traffic over the Easter holidays. Photo by Claudio MARTINELLI / AFP

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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For members

DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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