The Italian motorway known as the “Autostrada del Sole” is Autostrada A1, connecting Milan and Naples.
The A1 is Italy’s principal north–south motorway. It runs through or near major cities including Bologna, Florence and Rome, linking the industrial north with central and southern Italy. Its route crosses the Apennines and passes through several important historic regions of the peninsula.
Construction began in 1956, during a period when Italy was rapidly expanding its road network and modernizing its economy. The first completed section opened in 1958, and the full Milan–Rome route was completed in 1964. The motorway was originally promoted as a symbol of national unity and postwar development.
A common mix-up is the A3, which historically served the route south from Naples toward Reggio Calabria. The A4 is the major east–west motorway linking Turin, Milan, Venice and Trieste, while the A12 primarily follows parts of the Tyrrhenian coast.