Ferragosto weekend brings heavy traffic to Emilia-Romagna motorways

The coming weekend brings some of the heaviest traffic Italy will see this summer, according to warnings from Italy's motorway operator, The Local Italy reported. The Ferragosto holiday, celebrated on August 15, marks the peak of the Italian summer exodus, when millions of families head to the coasts and mountains.

Emilia-Romagna's motorway network, which includes the A1 Milan-Naples corridor and the A14 Adriatic coast road, is a natural chokepoint for holiday traffic. The region's position between the industrial north and the beach resorts of the Riviera Romagnola means its roads are likely to be among the busiest, though the wire report does not single out specific routes.

The warnings come as Italians swelter through a record August heatwave, which has pushed temperatures above 35C across much of the country, according to The Local Italy's forecast. Relief is in sight in the coming days, but the heat has already strained infrastructure and energy grids.