The Autostrada del Sole on show, a tale of Italy
Inaugurated sixty years ago, only eight years after work began. A 755-kilometre north-south route that united Italy from the mists of Milan to Naples, linking Bologna, Florence and Rome
2' min read
Key points
2' min read
In two old suitcases flow the vintage images of the Autostrada del Sole, the country's largest infrastructure inaugurated sixty years ago, in October 1964, only eight years after work began. A 755-kilometre north-south route that united Italy from the mists of Milan to Naples, linking Bologna, Florence and Rome. The Autostrada del Sole exhibition tells the story of Italy and its cultural and social transformations. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Archivio Storico Luce Cinecittà, 'L'alba dell'Autostrada del Sole', at the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome until 28 February 2025, recounts the birth of the Autostrada del Sole. Starting with the name: the first letter of the alphabet and the number 1 to communicate the primacy of the infrastructure, financed with 100 billion old lire.
The Luce Archives' newsreels recount the pioneering work
.The newsreels kept by the Luce historical archives recount the pioneering work, from the laying of the foundation stone on 19 May 1956 in San Donato Milanese with the President of the Republic Giovanni Gronchi, to the inauguration on 4 October 1964 in Florence, in the presence of Prime Minister Aldo Moro. A titanic undertaking narrated by the photos of the works, the construction sites, the newly marked tracks in rural areas. The photos also include the first 'bridge' refreshment station designed by Angelo Bianchetti and the famous Chiesa dell'Autostrada by Giovanni Michelucci, a masterpiece that interprets mobility as a metaphor for encounter.
A place we never stopped passing through
."The work of the Ministry of Culture, the Archivio Storico Luce Cinecittà and the photographers and artists involved wants to celebrate the memory of the entire historical narrative that precedes and makes this work an eternal symbol of national unity," says the undersecretary for Culture Lucia Borgonzoni, also emphasising the 'sentimental' value of the memory of journeys that each of us holds in our memories. And in fact, Chiara Sbarigia, president of Cinecittà and curator of the exhibition, also observes, the Autostrada del Sole is 'a place that we have never stopped travelling through, each with his or her own sensitivity and outlook. The exhibition retraces that journey from the laying of the foundation stone to the present day, through the faces of passengers and drivers, poetic landscapes and monuments that line the great infrastructure that united Italy'.
Also film masterpieces dedicated to A1
.A visual journey that also recounts the country's cultural and social transformations through photos, videos, objects and documents, which also dwells on cinematographic works that recount their impact. On masterpieces such as Vittorio De Sica's "Ieri, oggi e domani" (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), winner of the Oscar for best foreign film in 1965, starring Sofia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Or like the second episode of Thrilling by Carlo Lizzani, starring Alberto Sordi, dedicated precisely to the Autostrada del Sole. Luca Campigotto's photographs portray the motorway in its relationship with the landscape, those of Silvia Camporesi are a journey in 20 stages through the places along the route. Barbara Cannizzaro photographs humanity in transit. Together they rediscover the road that is part of Italians' memory and present.
