Arrigo Giana, CEO of Autostrade per l’Italia, spoke about innovation, infrastructure and mobility of the future at the Most 2026 Annual Event, taking place in Rome on Tuesday 3 November 2026. At the center of his speech, the investments of the Aspi group and the smart road model already operational on the Naples ring road.
“Innovation is an essential element for the future of the motorway sector,” declared Giana, underlining three structural priorities for Italian motorways: the modernization of assets, the strengthening of the most congested sections and the digitalisation of the networks. The economic commitment is significant: over 3.3 billion euros invested in maintenance, infrastructure and technologies between 2025 and the first half of 2026.
The economic weight of motorways
The numbers of the sector also support the urgency of modern infrastructures. Road transport accounts for up to 3% of the national GDP, and motorways welcome 5 million vehicles and almost 10 million people every day. A recent SWG survey confirms the sensitivity of Italians on the topic: 83% recognize the contribution of motorways to economic growth, 87% expect to travel on roads capable of preventing risky events and 77% believe that connected motorways are actually safer.
The smart road of Naples, first in Italy
Giana then illustrated the project already carried out on the Naples ring road, defined as “the first Italian smart road certified by the MIT”, developed in collaboration with Most. “An infrastructure capable of collecting and interpreting traffic data, communicating with connected vehicles – adds Giana – is the model already created on the Naples ring road, the first Italian smart road certified by the MIT, the result of collaboration with Most. An infrastructure equipped with intelligent cameras, sensors and antennas that allow the development of services such as the Dynamic Speed Limit, which suggests the optimal speed to improve fluidity and safety”.
Collaboration between institutions, universities and businesses is at the center of the group’s vision. “Infrastructure and technology are united on the path to the future of mobility,” concluded the CEO, reiterating that the objective is to translate the experiments into solutions that can be applied and replicated across the entire network.