A strada regionale (

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 regional road; "strade regionali"), abbreviated SR, is a type of

Italian road Roads in Italy are an important mode of transport in Italy. The classification of the roads of Italy is regulated by the Italian traffic code, both from a technical and administrative point of view. The street nomenclature largely reflects the ...

maintained by 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 ...

they traverse. In the administrative hierarchy, a regional road is less important than a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

, but more important than a provincial road.

Description

The concept of regional road was introduced for the first time in Italy, limited to the autonomous region of

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

(where no provincial body exists), with regional law no. 1 of 10 October 1950. The concept was then extended to a national level by legislative decree nº 285 of 30 April 1992 (New Italian Traffic Law) which defines it as: The first roads (excluding Aosta Valley) classified as SR (acronym for ''strada regionale''; "regional road") were created in 2001 following legislative decree no. 112 of 1998. In particular, articles 99 and 101 provided for the transfer of ownership and responsibilities relating to

state highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

not included in the national road network from the State to the regions, which then regulated the matter autonomously. For organizational reasons, many regions have entrusted the former state highways to the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

, while maintaining the acronym SR. In addition to these regional roads created following the downgrading of the state network, there are regional roads immediately classified as such (for example SR 6 in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

although subsequently downgraded to provincial) or former provincial regional roads such as SR 89, ex SP 62, in

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

. The regional roads can be technically classified as ''

strade extraurbane principali The ''strade extraurbane principali'' ("main extra-urban road"; : ''strada extraurbana principale'') or type B road, better known as a "superstrada", are a type of roads of Italy defined within the Italian Highway Code. Characteristics Therefor ...

'' (type B road; "main extra-urban roads") or as ''strade extraurbane secondarie'' (type C road; "secondary extra-urban roads"). If they cross inhabited centers with a population greater than 9,999 inhabitants, they are roads under municipal jurisdiction and therefore urban (type D and E). If they pass through centers or inhabited areas with a population of less than 9,999 inhabitants, they are urban (type D and E), but the responsibility remains with the manager. In addition to the roads identified by the acronym SR, there are roads managed by the region but identified by the acronym SP (for example, many SPs in the

province of Belluno The province of Belluno (; ; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno. It has an area of and a population of about 198,000 people. Geography Situated in the Alps, the province of ...

are managed by the Veneto Strade company with a 30% stake in the region of the same name).

Nomenclature

Regional roads are identified by a number. In road signs and maps the number is preceded by the acronym SR, an acronym for ''strada regionale'' ("

regional 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 ...

road"). In road signs the alphanumeric acronym is enclosed in a blue rectangle with a white acronym.

References

{{Reflist Roads in Italy

Description

Nomenclature

See also

Other Italian roads

References