1960 Fabbri View of the Apennine Mountains between Florence and Bologna

A stunning c. 1960 view of the Apennine Mountains produced by Fratelli Fabbri Editori. The view highlights the recently constructed highway (Autostrada A1), a major feat of postwar Italian infrastructure.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the northeast, this view takes in the northern Apennine Mountains between Florence and Bologna, focusing on the Autostrada A1. The many tunnels and bridges on this stretch of highway are illustrated. Despite promoting the autostrada, the view reflects the greater familiarity of Italians with train travel, noting the stations along the road's route. At bottom-left, profiles of major mountains are provided with their relative position to Florence and Bologna. At top-right, a map of Italy is included, highlighting this portion of highway.

Crossing the Apennines

The Autostrada A1 was one of the most important engineering and public works projects in postwar Italy. In the late 1950s, Italy's was increasingly urban, wealthy, and industrialized, but the country's infrastructure had not kept pace with these changes, especially the greater use of private automobiles. The government highly prioritized the construction of the A1, which would cut travel times between Milan and Naples from two days to as little as seven hours. Leading civil engineers, including Riccardo Morandi (1902 - 1989), were enlisted to design bridges and tunnels along the most challenging portion of the road, through the Apennines between Bologna and Florence. Construction began in May 1956 and the Trans-Apennine portion was completed in December 1960, with the entire route completed in 1964. The A1 became a symbol of the optimism and ambition of the times, leaving a deep imprint on Italy's society, economy, and culture.

Publication History and Census

This view was printed and published by Fratelli Fabbri Editori in Milan. It is undated, but likely coincided with the opening of the Trans-Appennine section of the A1 Autostrada in late 1960. We are unaware of any other examples of this view in institutional collections or on the market.