The Italian Highway Code ((in Italian)Codice della strada) sets out a rigorous classification of road types according to their technical and functional features[1].
Type A highway (or autostrada). Autostrada is the Italian equivalent for the English terms freeway or motorway. According to the Italian Highway Code definition, compatible with the OECD definition of motorway[2], an autostrada is a divided highway with at least two lanes for each direction, recommended hard shoulder (altough it is not strictly required), access only via interchanges and full control of access. Transit on autostrade is allowed only to certain categories of motorized vehicles (i.e. pedestrians, bicycles, scooters are completely banned, as well as all other vehicles that can't archieve a minimum speed of 80 km/h).
All autostrade are marked with special signs at the beginning and the end of the motorway. These signs, as well as the whole information signage on the freeway network, have green background. General speed limit on autostrade is 130 km/h.
Strada extraurbana principale sign
Type B highway (or Strada extraurbana principale). Commonly but unofficially known as superstrada (Italian equivalent for expressway), is a divided highway with at least two lanes for each direction, paved shoulder on the right, no cross-traffic and no at-grade intersections. Access restrictions on such highways are exactly the same of autostrade, as well as signage at the beginning and the end of the highway (with the only difference being the background color, blue instead of green). General speed limit on strade extraurbane principali is 110 km/h.
Type C road or highway (or strada extraurbana secondaria). Most Italian roads outside of town and cities belongs to this category. According to Italian Highway Code definition, a type-C road is a single carriageway with at least one lane for each direction and shoulders. It may have at-grade intersections, at-level crossings with railways, roundabouts and traffic lights.
Despite the definition made by the Highway Code, this category contains also dual carriageways that can not be classified as type-B highways because of the lack of one or more required features.
Motorized vehicles only (this sign is not associated with any particular road type)
In absence of specific regulation signs, a type-C road is accessible by all vehicles and pedestrians, even if it has separate carriageways and no cross-traffic. In order to deny access to pedestrians, bicycles and other slow vechicles, the road owner must place a specific prohibition sign for each category of transport to be banned. However, there is a sign that allows access to the road only to motorized vehicles (without power restrictions unless specified). This sign is very similar to those used in most European countries to indicate the beginning of an expressway, but its meaning in Italy is quite different as it does not indicate whether the road has or has not expressway features.
Type D road (or strada urbana di scorrimento). The term may be translated in English as urban expressway. According to Italian Highway Code, a type-D road has separate carriageways, with at least two lanes for each direction, optional bus lanes, paved shoulder on the right and sidewalks. Parking is allowed in dedicated areas outside of the carriageway, with concentrated entrances and exits. At-grade intersections with traffic lights are allowed.
Type E road (or strada urbana di quartiere). A road of this type has single carriageway, with two lanes, sidewalks and paved shoulders. Parking is allowed in dedicated areas outside of the carriageway, with related manouvre lane.
Normal speed limit in urban areas (on both type-D and type-E roads) is 50 km/h. It may be legally raised up to 70 km/h where both technical and functional road features make it possible.
Type F road (or strada locale). This category contains all the roads (both inside and outside of towns or cities) that do not belong to any of the previous categories.
The term Autostrada in Italy indicates both a type of road and a classification (like the term motorway in United Kingdom).
Italian motorways form a network that covers most of Italian peninsula and Sicily (Sardinia is not covered by proper motorways). The total length of currently open motorways is about 6,400 km. Altough autostrade's owner is the state-controlled ANAS (a public company deputed to construction and maintenance of roads and highways), most motorways are maintained by private companies, specially in northern and central Italy. Privately managed motorways are usually tolled. Two notable exceptions are the A3 motorway from Salerno to Reggio Calabria, and the Grande Raccordo Anulare (Rome's ring road), which are directly maintained by ANAS and are toll-free.
Autostrade are identified by the capital letter "A" followed by a progressive number. The diagram that is reported on information and direction signs consists in a regular green octagon showing the number of the motorway in its center.
Unlike other countries, Italian motorways do not follow a policy of numbering on a geographical basis, but a simpler time criterion. Each newly open motorway receives the first unused number. Numbers from 1 to 33 are assigned to existent and open motorways, numbers from 34 to 49 are now available and will be probably assigned to future motorways. Numbers from 50 to 57 are currently assigned to many important beltways ((in Italian)tangenziali) classified as autostrada. A90 is the official number of Rome's ring road (Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA), and A91 is the official number of the short motorway that connects Rome with the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport.
Italian state roads ((in Italian)strade statali) form a network that extends for nearly 19,000 kilometers[3].
Until 2001, the network was even more extensive, because it also included other roads, that the national government decided to no longer maintain directly, thus assigning them to regions and provinces[4].
All state roads are owned and managed by ANAS, that is under the direct control of Italian government. Many state roads are historically relevant, since occupy the same routes of ancient Roman roads (Via Aurelia, now SS 1, is one of the best examples).
State roads may be designed as either type-B (strada extraurbana principale) or type-C (strada extraurbana secondaria). In the latter case, the road may pass through towns or cities, becoming an urban road (type-D or type-E). In case of cities of more than 10000 inhabitants, the maintenance of the urban segment of the road is assigned to the city authority, else it is still owned by ANAS.
The classification of regional road ((in Italian)strada regionale, SR) exists by law since 1992, when current Italian Highway Code was approved[1]. Formerly, there were regional roads only in Valle d'Aosta (an autonomous region), but these roads were in fact provincial roads since in that region there is only one province.
Almost all regional roads are former state roads downgraded by an executive order signed in 1998 and executed in 2001[4].
Regional roads are owned by the regions, that can either manage them directly or assign maintenance to the provinces. Some regions, however, do not have regional roads at all, as all former state roads were directly assigned to the provinces (both property and management). This is the case of Lombardy.
Each region can number its regional roads under its own policy (the numbering within a region, however, is unique). With regard to the former state roads, some regions have maintained old numbers, replacing the acronym "SS" with "SR".
State roads may be designed as either type-B (strada extraurbana principale) or type-C (strada extraurbana secondaria). Just like state roads, when a regional road passes through towns or cities, becomes an urban road (type-D or type-E), and is managed by the city authority if the town or city has no less than 10000 inhabitants.
Province roads ((in Italian)strade provinciali) are owned by the provinces. Maintenance can be performed directly by the owner, by consortia, or outsourced to private companies.
Each province shall assign an unique identifier to all the roads of its competence. This identifier is usually formed by the acronym "SP" (standing for strada provinciale) followed by a progressive number. Anyway, a province may define its own numbering criteria. For example, Province of Brescia uses both Roman and Arabic numerals.
Assigning a new identifier to former state roads downgraded to province roads (especially in those regions where the classification of regional road is undefined) represents an issue that every province can solve differently. Some provinces decided to keep old numbers and simply replace the acronym "SS" with "SP", others replaced "SS" with "SP ex SS" keeping old numbers, others assigned to those roads a new number, different from the old one.
Municipal roads ((in Italian)strade comunali) are those roads that are directly owned and maintained by the Comunes. They may be designed as type-B or type-C roads outside, or as type-D or type-E inside town and cities. If the road does not meet the minimum required standards for type-C or type-E roads, it is classified as type-F, both outside and inside urban areas (some type-F roads may not be paved).
The urban sections of state, regional, or province roads are classified as municipal roads if the comune's size is greater than 10,000 inhabitants.
With regard to numbering, each municipality can define name and numbers for the roads and street of its jurisdiction without constraints by any higher administrative level. Usually, streets does not carry a number but only a name (for example "Via Roma", "Corso Venezia", and so on), while municipal roads outside of urban area can be identified by a progressive number (unique within comune's boundaries) that follows the acronym "SC" standing for strada comunale.
NSA stands for Nuova strada ANAS (that may be translated as "Newly Opened ANAS Road"). It is a provisional classification given to a road or an highway built and maintained by ANAS, which is, therefore, a state road that has not yet received the final classification. According to ANAS statistics, about 660 km of Italian roads are classified as NSA[3].
RA stands for Raccordo autostradale (translated as "motorway connection"). A so-called raccordo autostradale is a relatively short spur route that connects an autostrada to a nearby city or touristic resort that is not directly served by the motorway. These spurs are owned and managed by ANAS (with some exceptions, such as RA7 that became A53 when assigned to a private company for maintenance). Some spurs are toll-free motorways (type-A), but most of them are type-B or type-C roads. By the way all RA have separate carriageways.
Diagram of an Italian traforoImportant alpinetunnels ((in Italian)trafori) are identified by the capital letter "T" followed by a single digit number. Currently there are only three T-classified tunnels: Mont Blanc Tunnel (T1), Great St Bernard Tunnel (T2) and Frejus Road Tunnel (T4). All these tunnels, that cross the borderline between Italy and France (T1, T4) or Switzerland (T3), are treated as motorways (green signage, control of access, and so on) altough they are not proper motorways. The code T3 was once assigned to the Bargagli-Ferriere Tunnel, in Ligurian Appennines, before it was reclassified as SP GE 226.
FI-PI-LI (the Florence-Pisa-Livorno highway) is currently the only road in Italy[5] that has not a number. Technically, it may be considered a regional road since it is owned by Tuscany.
In Italy, E roads network overlaps the Italian road network. In other words, an highway that is part of an international route carries both national number and european number. Many E roads in Italy are motorways or expressways.
