After 30 years of construction, the final stretches of the Palermo to Messina superhighway will be inaugurated on December 21st.

There is also good train and bus service between these two cities.

Any word on the bridge/tunnel crossing supposedly being planned across the Straight of Messina? Rail and road right?
I also wonder if the new highway's concrete will be up to snuff. It seems some highway near Naples had to close shortly after it was open as the Corroleone crowd provided the cement! Or are there bodies cached in the roadway?
Maybe this is the highway to nowhere i saw in Sicily a few years ago - a super highway impressivley built on pillars that just ended in the middle of nowhere and was never used, maybe that was a part of this road?

The bridge over the Straits of Messina is supposed to be finished by 2010 or so, but I doubt it. It will be for both vehicles and trains. When completed, it will be the longest single span bridge in the world.

The Palermo to Messina highway was missing a couple of pieces, but should be open in three weeks.

I heard that the Benetton clan bought some Italian autostradas - i wonder if the next road is fashionable? Or maybe they just bought the rest areas and shops?

GAC: Do you have any idea of what tolls cost on Italian autoroutes? You've posted great stuff on cheap train tickets (9 euros Rome/Florence-Milan for example) and an wondering what tolls alone might cost let alone $5/gal gas.

PalQ: I don't know, but I can assure you that the cost of gasoline alone makes the 9 Euro train fare a fantastic bargain. Even the regular train fare is a good deal for the solo traveller, compared to the cost of renting a car and paying for gas and highway tolls. No doubt about it.