The Autostrada A26 is an ''

autostrada The ''autostrade'' (; : ''autostrada'', ) are roads forming the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about , as of 30 July 2022. There are also 13 motorway spur routes, which extend for . Most of the Itali ...

'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

for "

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

") long in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

located in the

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

and

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

. It is named the Autostrada dei Trafori ("Tunnels motoway") after the numerous tunnels through which it passes, both Apennine and

Subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

. It runs northwards from

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

on the Ligurian coast, over the Apennines, and across the wide plain of the Po valley to the environs of

Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided be ...

and the mouth of the Val d’Ossola. In addition to this ‘main trunk’ of the road, there are three side branches, also of motorway class which function as link roads between the A26 and the A7, the A4 and the A8. The A26, together with these link roads, is managed by Autostrade per l'Italia S.p.A. It is a part of the E25 and E62 European routes.

Route

The A26 begins from the Genoese town of Pra', which lies on the coast to the west of the city centre. (Note that the gate of Pra' is still wrongly named "Voltri", nevertheless, Voltri has anything to do with the motorway gate and that the City of Genova has formally asked for the change of its name in "Gate of Pra' "). It crosses the Apennines at the Passo del Turchino (532m) and passes through

Ovada Ovada (''Uà'' and ''Guà'' in Ligurian, ''Ovà'' in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 11,484 inhabitants in the Province of Alessandria in the northern Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south ...

. Near Castelferro (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of

Predosa Predosa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Alessandria. Predosa borders the following municipalities: Basaluzzo, Bosco Marengo Bosco ...

) an eastern branch, the Autostrada A26/A7, provides links to

Novi Ligure Novi Ligure (; , ; , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) north of Genoa, in the province of Alessandria, in the Italian region of Piedmont. The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both road and railroad ...

and to the Autostrada A7 (Genoa –

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

) which it joins near

Spineto Scrivia Spineto Scrivia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. Spineto Scrivia borders the following municipalities: Carbonara S ...

, to the south of

Tortona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...

. The A26 continues northwards until near

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

there is an interchange with the

Autostrada A21 The ''autostrade'' (; : ''autostrada'', ) are roads forming the Italy, Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about , as of 30 July 2022. There are also 13 motorway spur routes, which extend for . Most of the ...

(

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

–

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

). The road crosses the

Po River The Po ( , ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is , or if the Maira (river), Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. The headwaters of the Po are forme ...

just east of

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, northwestern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po River, Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montfe ...

. South of

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

a western branch, the Autostrada A4/26, provides a connection to the

Autostrada A4 The Autostrada A4, or Autostrada Serenissima (" Serenissima motorway"), is an '' autostrada'' (Italian for "motorway") long in Italy located in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia which connects Turin and Trieste ...

(Turin –

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

) near

Santhià Santhià (; or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Vercelli. Santhià is home to a historic carnival named the ''Carnevale Stori ...

, and continues as the Autostrada A4/A5 to the Autostrada A5 (Turin – Aosta – Monte Bianco) which it joins at

Pavone Canavese Pavone Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km northeast of Turin. Pavone Canavese borders the following municipalities: Ivrea, Banchette Banchette is a ' ...

, just south of

Ivrea Ivrea (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is ...

. Further north, between Greggio and

Biandrate Biandrate (Piedmontese: ''Biandrà'', Lombard: ''Biandraa'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about west of Novara. History Archaeological findings h ...

Vicolungo to the west of

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

, the A26 intersects with the

(Turin – Trieste), and at

Sesto Calende Sesto Calende () is a town and ''comune,'' with around 11,019 inhabitants, located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. It is at the southern tip of Lake Maggiore, where the river Ticino starts to flow towards the ...

with the Autostrada A8. The road passes close to

Romagnano Sesia Romagnano Sesia is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of about 4,000 inhabitants in the Province of Novara in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Novara. Romagnano Sesia borders the fol ...

and

Ghemme Ghemme is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located on the river Sesia about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Novara. It is the birthplace of architect Alessandro Antonelli and the ...

where there is an exit for the

Valsesia Valsesia (; Walser German: ''Tseschrutol'') is a group of valleys in the north-east of Piedmont in the Province of Vercelli, Italy; the principal valley is that of the river Sesia. The major towns located here are Varallo Sesia, Borgosesia ...

. It proceeds north-east and follows the shore of

Lago Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the List of lakes of Italy, second largest lake in Italy and the List of lakes of Switzerland, largest in southern Sw ...

with exits for Arona,

Brovello-Carpugnino Brovello-Carpugnino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Verbania. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 607 and a ...

Baveno Baveno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, part of Piedmont, northern Italy. It is on the west shore of Lago Maggiore, northwest of Arona by rail. To the north-west are the famous red granite quarries, which have ...

Stresa Stresa is a ''comune'' (municipality) of about 4,600 residents on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the Italian region of Piedmont. about northwest of Milan. It is situated on road and rail routes to the Sim ...

Verbania Verbania (, , ) is the most populous ''comune'' (municipality) and the capital city of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is situated on the shore of Lake Maggiore, about north-west of Milan and ab ...

and

Gravellona Toce Gravellona Toce () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about west of Verbania. Main sights *Gallo-Roman necropolis *Parish church of St. Pet ...

. From here the continues the route northwards, initially as a superstrada (a form of expressway), to

Domodossola Domodossola (; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. It was also known as Oscela, Oscella, Oscella dei Leponzi, Ossolo, Ossola Lepontiorum, and Domo d'Ossola (due to it ...

and then via the

Val Divedro The Simplon Valley or Divedro Valley ( German: ''Simplontal'', Italian: ''Val Divedro'') is a valley of the Alps, situated between the Pennine and the Lepontine ranges. The valley is drained by the Diveria or ''Chrummbach'', a tributary of the ...

to the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

border, affording access to the

Simplon Pass The Simplon Pass (; ; ; ; ; ) is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig, Switzerland, Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villag ...

{, class="wikitable" border="1" , - , - align="center" bgcolor="08842C" style="color: white;font-size:100%;" , colspan="6" , GENOVA - GRAVELLONA TOCE
Autostrada dei Trafori , - ! style="text-align:center;", Exit!! style="text-align:center;", ↓km↓!! style="text-align:center;", ↑km↑!!align="center, Province!!align="center, European Route , - , Genova - Ventimiglia

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=3 align="center", GE, , rowspan=13 align="center", , - , Rest area "Turchino", , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Masone Masone ( or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about northwest of Genoa. Masone borders the following municipalities: Bosio, Campo Ligure, Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Rest area "Stura", , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=9 align="center", AL , - ,

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Diramazione Predosa - Bettole, , align="right" , , , align="right", , - , Rest area "Bormida", , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Sud , , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Torino - Piacenza - Brescia , , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Rest area "Monferrato", , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Sud , , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Nord , , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Diramazione Stroppiana - Santhià , , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=3 align="center", VC , - , Rest area "Sesia", , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=6 align=”center”, , - ,

Est, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Torino - Trieste, , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan="8" align="center" , NO , - ,

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Borgomanero Borgomanero (; ) is a (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin, about northwest of Novara and about 60 km northwest of Milan. Borgomanero borders the following municipalities ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , { Rest area "Agogna", , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Diramazione Gallarate - Gattico , align="right", , align="right", , rowspan=10 align="center", , - , Arona, , align="right" , , , align="right" , , - , Toll gate Lago Maggiore, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Meina Meina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northwest of Milan, about northeast of Turin and about north of Novara, on the southern area of Lake Maggiore. Meina is often called ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Carpugnino, , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=6 align="center", VB , - ,

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

''del Lago Maggiore''

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

''del Lago Maggiore''

Lake Orta Lake Orta (; Lombard and ) or Cusio (Lombard and ; ) is a lake in northern Italy, west of Lake Maggiore. It has been so named since the 16th century, but was previously called Lago di San Giulio, after Saint Julius (4th century), the patron s ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Ornavasso Ornavasso (Ossolano: ''Urnavass'', Walser German: ''Urnafasch'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Verbania. Overview Or ...

''del Sempione'', , align="right", , , align="right", , -

A7/A26 Bettole-Predosa connection

The Autostrada A7/A26 Diramazione Bettole-Predosa (A7/A26) is a 17 km motorway which links the A26 near

with the Autostrada A7 near Bettole (a ''

'' of

Pozzolo Formigaro Pozzolo Formigaro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. As of 1 January 2022, it had a population of 4,507 and an area o ...

). The entire autostrada is within the

Province of Alessandria The province of Alessandria (; ; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian Provinces of Italy, province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The prov ...

. Its sole exit is for

and it provides a convenient means of access to both the A7 and the A26 from that town. {, class="wikitable" , - align="center" style="color: white;font-size:100%;" bgcolor="#08842c" , colspan="6" , AUTOSTRADA A26/A7
A7/A26 Bettole-Predosa connection , - , - !Exit!!align="center", ↓km↓!!align="center", ↑km↑!!align="center", Province!!align="center", European route , - , Genova - Gravellona Toce, , align="right", , , align="right", , , align="center" rowspan=4, AL, , align="center" rowspan=4, -- , - ,

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Rest area "Marengo" , , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Milano - Genova, , align="right", , , align="right", , -

A4/A26 Stroppiana-Santhià connection

The Autostrada A4/A26 Diramazione Stroppiana-Santhià (A4/A26) is a 32 km motorway which links the A26 near

Stroppiana Stroppiana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southeast of Vercelli. Stroppiana borders the following municipalities: Asigliano Vercellese, Cares ...

with the

near

. It forms part of the 1,547 km

European route E25 European route E25 is a north–south European route from Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, to Palermo in Italy which includes ferry crossings from Genoa to Bastia (Corsica), from Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, Bonifacio to Porto Torres (Sardinia) ...

which connects

Hook of Holland Hook of Holland (, ) is a coastal village in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was in use before the word ''wikt:kaap#Dutch, kaap'' – "cape". The English translation using Hook is a false cognate of t ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. The layout of the road is level with two lanes in each direction. {, class="wikitable" , - align="center" style="color: white;font-size:100%;" bgcolor="#08842c" , colspan="6" , AUTOSTRADA A4/A26
A4/A26 Stroppiana-Santhià connection , - , - !Exit!!align="center", ↓km↓!!align="center", ↑km↑!!align="center", Province!!align="center", European route , - , Genova - Gravellona Toce , , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan="6" align="center" , VC, , rowspan="6" align="center" , , - , Rest area "Le Risaie" , , align="right", -, , align="right", , - ,

Ovest, , align="right" , , , align="right", , - , Rest area "Cavour", , align="right", , , align="right", - , - , Torino - Milano

, , align="right" , , , align="right", , - , A4/5 Ivrea
Torino - Aosta , , align="right" , , , align="right",

A8/A26 Gallarate-Gattico connection

The Autostrada A8/A26 Diramazione Gallarate-Gattico (A8/A26) is a motorway which connects the A26 near Gattico with the Autostrada A8 near

Gallarate Gallarate (; Lombard language, Lombard: ''Galaraa'') is a city and ''comune'' of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people. It is the junction ...

. It forms part of the 1,290 km

European route E62 European route E 62 is a road in Europe, part of the United Nations International E-road network. Approximately long, it connects the French Atlantic port city of Nantes to Genoa, largest of Italy's port cities. Between France and Italy ...

which connects

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

in western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Genova Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitants ...

. The road was built to provide a route for traffic from

and the

and thence to the parts of the peninsula to the east of the Apennines. It has two lanes in each direction from Gallarate to

and three from Sesto Calende to Gattico. {, class="wikitable" , - align="center" style="color: white;font-size:100%;" bgcolor="#08842c" , colspan="6" , AUTOSTRADA A8/A26
Gallarate - Gattico connection , - , - !Exit!!align="center", ↓km↓!!align="center", ↑km↑!!align="center", Province!!align="center", European route , - , Milano - Varese, , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=5 align="center", VA, , rowspan=7 align="center", , - , Toll gate

Ovest, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Besnate Besnate is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Varese in Lombardy in Northern Italy. The Commune of Besnate has a land area of and an average elevation of above sea level. Its highest point, in the hills of Ravellino, reaches . It includes ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - , Rest area "Verbano", , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Vergiate Vergiate is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km northwest of Milan and about 15 km southwest of Varese. As of 31 December 2018 it had a population of 8,716 Vergiate bo ...

''del Sempione'':

''del Lago di Monate'':

Lake Monate Lago di Monate is a lake in the Province of Varese, Lombardy, Italy. At an elevation of 266 m, its surface area is 2.5 km2. The municipalities bordering the Lake are Cadrezzate, Comabbio, Osmate and Travedona-Monate Travedona-Monate is a ' ...

, , align="right", , , align="right", , - ,

Castelletto Ticino Castelletto sopra Ticino, also referred to by locals as Castelletto Ticino or just Castelletto, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about north of Novara ...

''Ticinese''
''del Sempione'':

, , align="right", , , align="right", , , rowspan=2 align="center", NO , - , Genova - Gravellona Toce , , align="right", , , align="right", , -

Notes

References

External links

Autostrade per l'Italia

provides a list of the autostrada's viaducts and tunnels. * {{Authority control A26 Transport infrastructure completed in 1977 1977 establishments in Italy Transport in Liguria Transport in Piedmont

Route

A7/A26 Bettole-Predosa connection

A4/A26 Stroppiana-Santhià connection

A8/A26 Gallarate-Gattico connection

See also

Other Italian roads

Notes

References

External links