From Appian Way to Autostrada
The Romans knew how to build long-distance roads some 2000 years ago. This was the main way that armies could be moved around the vast Roman Empire. The Appian Way was built from Rome to the southern tip of Italy.
Appian Way
Roads were also important for transporting goods for sale. It was said that 'all roads lead to Rome'.
Now, motorists in Italy can drive on one of the best motorway systems in Europe. There are about 6000 kilometres of autostradas (motorways). There is a toll to pay on most of them. One motorway called the Autostrada del Sole, goes the whole length of Italy from Milan to Reggio di Calabria. This is a distance of 1250 kilometres.
There are only a few ways to get into Italy by land across the Alps. One is through the narrow mountain passes, such as the Brenner pass. The other is to travel through one of the tunnels that have been cut through the mountains. The Mount Frejus tunnel was opened in 1980. This takes cars and lorries for almost 13 kilometres under the Alps from France into Italy.
Rome Italy - Colosseum Rome
One of Rome's airports is named Leonardo da Vinci. Few other countries in the world would name an airport after a 15th-century artist and designer!
Tuscany Italy
Rail and boat
There is also a railway network for long-distance travel. About 20,000 kilometres of track link all the main towns and cities. About half of the railway lines have been electrified. This makes them faster, cleaner and cheaper to run. A journey from Rome to Palermo on the island of Sicily takes 14 hours by train. This includes a train ferry between the mainland and Sicily. It takes only 60 minutes to fly between the two cities. Other islands, such as Sardinia, are linked to the mainland by ferry boats and hydrofoil boats.
Traffic chaos
Rome is Italy's centre for business, politics and for culture. There is an underground rail system to help people move quickly around the city. Young people often prefer to travel on scooters. There are so many cars that pollution and traffic congestion are serious problems. This is also a concern in many of Italy's historic towns and cities where the streets are very narrow and trap car fumes.
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