Italy: diesel-price protest spreads to six southern regions, with pickets on motorways and ports

The protest that reached Campania’s motorways on Thursday spread, within 24 hours, to six regions of southern Italy. The traffic notice has been updated with the new map of affected points; here is the context.

What changed since yesterday

• Campania — alongside the Caianello picket, Caserta Sud joined in, both on the A1. On the A30, the Nola exit closed for about an hour in the morning and Nocera-Pagani closed in the afternoon, reopening at 19:26.
• Calabria — Fedralog closed and guarded the Falerna junction on the A2, and blocked traffic for about two hours at Sant’Onofrio; a picket also hit the port of Gioia Tauro, blocking truck access without stopping ship operations. Slowdowns on the SS280 (Lamezia Terme), SS682/SS106 (Grotteria Mare) and SS18.
• Sicily — a picket at the port of Palermo (Santa Lucia pier) is blocking trucks from leaving; a brief blockade on the SS117bis in Gela was later lifted.
• Apulia — around 500 vehicles left Costa Morena (Brindisi) along the SS379 towards Bari; slowdowns on the SS96 Bari-Altamura and in Corato; blockades on the SS106 and SS7 in Taranto were removed during the day — those are linked to former Ilva workers, not the diesel protest.
• Basilicata — around a hundred vehicles blocked the SS106/Fondovalle dell’Agri junction in Scanzano Jonico; pickets also on the SS653 Sinnica and the Bradanica.
• Molise — pickets in Pietracatella and on the SS645 Fondovalle Tappino, without a full blockade.

None of these points saw a full motorway closure: protesters always leave a lane open for those not taking part, but the road narrows and queues build up.

Until when

Fedralog in Calabria and the Comitato Trasporto Siciliano confirm the action runs until 20 October, 23:59 — the same deadline already set in the notice since Thursday. Fedralog has announced further action for today, 17 October, aiming for 90% participation in the region. No confirmed end date for the other regions, though the mobilisation remains tied to the same national 16-20 October stoppage.

Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has a meeting scheduled with the sector for 27 October in Rome; there are unconfirmed signs it could be brought forward to 20 October, in Milan.

What to do

Anyone crossing Campania, Calabria, Sicily, Apulia, Basilicata or Molise in the coming days should expect localised delays near tolls, motorway junctions and ports — not full closures — and plan an alternative route where one exists. We keep following the traffic notice, which we will update if the action is extended, widens further, or is lifted early.