Italy’s autostrade (motorways) usually see little in the way of heavy traffic, at least outside of the major cities.

But in summer that all changes as everyone escapes the baking hot cities for the cooler air of the mountains or the coast in what’s commonly known as esodo estivo (‘summer exodus’).

Not only do motorways become much busier, but many smaller roads (strade statali), particularly in coastal areas and around holiday hotspots, become completely clogged with traffic.

The increased number of vehicles on the road isn’t just inconvenient; it can also be dangerous as June, July and August are usually the months with the most recorded car accidents.

That’s why the Italian government issues warnings each year advising motorists to avoid peak travel times, and even publishes its own calendar showing when traffic is predicted to be at its worst.

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The official forecast, produced as part of the Viabilità Italia summer travel plan drawn up by emergency services and motorway management company Anas, notes particularly busy dates to avoid.

The calendar is colour-coded, with a yellow marker indicating heavy traffic, red indicating heavy traffic with ‘possible critical conditions’, and black indicating ‘critical’ traffic. 

The calendar for next month features two black markers, with motorists expected to experience critical traffic in the morning of Saturday, August 5th and Saturday, August 12th. 

But August will also have plenty of ‘red spots’ as drivers on Italian roads are forecast to see potentially critical congestion at least at some time of the day on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month. 

The first two weekends in August may be nothing short of nightmarish for many motorists as very heavy congestion is expected to form as early as Friday morning and then carry on until Sunday evening. 

Friday morning traffic may not be as bad in the last two weekends of the month but possibly critical traffic will still be likely in the afternoon and evening as well as all day on Saturday and Sunday.

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Even Mondays may not be safe from congestion this August as drivers are forecast to encounter heavy traffic in the mornings of August 14th, 21st and 28th.

Overall then, the best time for motorists to hit the road next month would be from Tuesday to Thursday as, barring one single exception (Wednesday, August 30th), traffic is expected to remain at normal levels on those days.

How can I keep up to date with the latest developments?

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.