Italy's Polizia di Stato (state police) marked the morning of Saturday, August 1st black on its August traffic calendar, the top warning level, reserved for the most severe road congestion.

Sunday and the rest of the weekend were under yellow or red markers, indicating heavy traffic and possible critical conditions.

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The warnings covered the annual esodo or mass exodus from Italy’s cities, as the majority of residents head for the coast and the mountains in early August.

Saturday, August 8th is the only other morning to draw the same black warning this month, as the last residents flee the scorching summer heat in urban areas.

Southbound motorways linking major cities to popular holiday areas are expected to see the heaviest traffic. These include the A14 from Bologna to Taranto, the A1 between Milan and Naples, and the A2 from Salerno to Reggio Calabria, along with the A19 and A29 in Sicily and the junctions near Trieste.

Coastal state roads including the Adriatica, the Aurelia and the Pontina are also set to be congested.

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Drivers who need to use these roads can find alternative routes published by the state police for the north, centre and south.

Real-time conditions are available through Autostrade per l’Italia and Anas, whose VAI app and website carry live maps, road closures and roadworks. Radio updates run on Rai-Isoradio and the Onda Verde bulletins across the three Rai networks.