Editing Transport in Italy (section)

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[[File:A8-A26 Besnate.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Autostrada dei Laghi]]'' ("Lakes Motorway"; now parts of the [[Autostrada A8 (Italy)|Autostrada A8]] and the [[Autostrada A9 (Italy)|Autostrada A9]]) near [[Besnate]], the first [[motorway]] built in the world<ref name="independent"/><ref name="motorwebmuseum"/>]]
[[File:Milano-Centrale-Entrance-Hall-2012.JPG|thumb|[[Milano Centrale railway station]] is the largest railway station in Europe by volume.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unitremilano.it/920/luoghi/stazione-centrale-milano.html|title=La Stazione Centrale di Milano: la più grande in Europa|access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref>]]
[[File:Etr500.JPG|thumb|An [[ETR 500]] train running on the [[Florence–Rome high-speed railway|Florence–Rome high-speed line]] near [[Arezzo]], the first high-speed railway opened in Europe<ref>{{Cite web |title=Special report: A European high-speed rail network |url=https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eca/special-reports/high-speed-rail-19-2018/en/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=op.europa.eu |language=en-GB}}</ref>]]

[[Italy]] has a well developed [[transport]] infrastructure. The [[Rail transport in Italy|Italian rail network]] is extensive ({{convert|16723|km|abbr=on}}), especially in the north, and it includes a [[high-speed rail]] network that joins the major cities of Italy from [[Naples]] through northern cities such as [[Milan]] and [[Turin]]. The [[Florence–Rome high-speed railway]] was the first high-speed line opened in Europe when more than half of it opened in 1977. Italy has 2,507 people and 12.46&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> per kilometer of rail track, giving Italy the world's 13th largest rail network.<ref name="network-size">Compare [[List of countries by rail transport network size]].</ref> The Italian rail network is operated by state-owned [[Ferrovie dello Stato]], while the [[rail tracks]] and infrastructure are managed by [[Rete Ferroviaria Italiana]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.camera.it/temiap/documentazione/temi/pdf/1104389.pdf|title=Il trasporto ferroviario|access-date=12 July 2022|language=it|archive-date=13 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013183724/https://www.camera.it/temiap/documentazione/temi/pdf/1104389.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Roads in Italy|Italy's paved road network]] is also widespread, with a total length of about {{convert|487700|km|abbr=on}}.<ref>CIA World Factbook 2005</ref> 
It comprises both an extensive [[controlled-access highway|motorway]] [[Autostrade of Italy|network]] ({{convert|7016|km|abbr=on}}), mostly [[toll road]]s, and national and local roads. Italy was the first country in the world to build [[motorway]]s, the so-called ''[[Autostrade of Italy|autostrade]]'', reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only.<ref name=independent>{{Cite news|first=Thea|last=Lenarduzzi|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|title=The motorway that built Italy: Piero Puricelli's masterpiece|date=30 January 2016|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=12 May 2022|archive-date=26 May 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="motorwebmuseum">{{cite web|url=https://www.motorwebmuseum.it/en/places/varese/the-milano-laghi-by-piero-puricelli-the-first-motorway-in-the-world/|title=The "Milano-Laghi" by Piero Puricelli, the first motorway in the world|access-date=10 May 2022|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901170319/https://www.motorwebmuseum.it/en/places/varese/the-milano-laghi-by-piero-puricelli-the-first-motorway-in-the-world/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Autostrada dei Laghi]]''  ("Lakes Motorway"), the first built in the world, connecting [[Milan]] to [[Lake Como]] and [[Lake Maggiore]], and now parts of the [[Autostrada A8 (Italy)|A8]] and [[Autostrada A9 (Italy)|A9]] motorways, was devised by [[Piero Puricelli]] and was inaugurated in 1924.<ref name="motorwebmuseum"/> The [[State highways (Italy)|Strade Statali]] is the Italian national network of [[state highway]]s. The total length for this network is about {{convert|25000|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name="stradeanas.it"/> The routes of some state highways derive from ancient [[Roman roads]], such as the [[Strada statale 7 Via Appia]], which broadly follows the route of the [[Appian Way|Roman road of the same name]].

Italy is the fifth in Europe by number of passengers by air transport, with about 148 million passengers or about 10% of the European total in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trasporto aereo in Italia (PDF) |date=7 January 2013 |url=http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/78802 |publisher=ISTAT |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-date=13 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113035254/http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/78802 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012 there were 130 airports in Italy, including the two [[Airline hub|hubs]] of [[Malpensa International Airport]] in Milan and [[Leonardo da Vinci International Airport]] in Rome. Since October 2021, Italy's [[flag carrier]] airline is [[ITA Airways]], which took over the brand, the IATA ticketing code, and many assets belonging to the former flag carrier [[Alitalia]], after its bankruptcy.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Julia |title=Italy reveals its new national airline |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ita-airways-launch/index.html |access-date=18 October 2021 |work=CNN |date=18 October 2021 |language=en |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018100255/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ita-airways-launch/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The country also has [[regional airline]]s (such as [[Air Dolomiti]]), low-cost carriers, and Charter and leisure carriers (including [[Neos (airline)|Neos]], [[Blue Panorama Airlines]] and [[Poste Air Cargo]]). Major Italian cargo operators are [[ITA Airways|ITA Airways Cargo]] and [[Cargolux Italia]].

Because of its long seacoast, Italy also has many harbors for the transportation of both goods and passengers. In 2004 there were 43 major seaports including the [[Port of Genoa]], the country's largest and the [[List of busiest ports in Europe|third busiest by cargo tonnage]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Due to the increasing importance of the maritime [[Silk Road]] with its connections to Asia and East Africa, the Italian ports for [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Eastern Europe]] have become important in recent years. In addition, the trade in goods is shifting from the European northern ports to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea due to the considerable time savings and environmental protection. In particular, the deep water port of [[Trieste]] in the northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea is the target of Italian, Asian and European investments.<ref name="Hernig">Marcus Hernig: Die Renaissance der Seidenstraße (2018) pp 112.</ref><ref name="Simon">Bernhard Simon: Can The New Silk Road Compete With The Maritime Silk Road? in The Maritime Executive, 1 January 2020.</ref> Transport networks in Italy are integrated into the [[Trans-European Transport Networks]].