How Italy Turned Roadside Dining Into An On-The-Go Foodie Institution

When you're hungry on a road trip in the United States, your options for nourishment aren't always stellar. While you may be lucky to find a diner or a roadside BBQ stand, you're more likely to come across a typical fast food chain or even a gas station supermarket filled with shelf-stable snacks and sad, soggy sandwiches. Italy, however, does not have this problem. Out of all of the many types of restaurants in Italy, the popularity of a certain rest stop eatery might surprise you. Among the best tips for eating like a local in Italy is stopping at a roadside grill and marketplace beloved by Italians called Autogrill. 

While you're likely envisioning picturesque, winding roads, not all Italian roads are so glamorous, as major freeways and toll roads, known as autostrada, are also necessary. But no matter what the roads look like, Autogrill is a welcome sight for Italian motorists and tourists alike. Autogrill's history dates back to 1947, when Mario Pavesi sought to sell cookies via food stands along highways. Inspired by large American grills, Pavesi sought to replicate this in Italy.

Now a large corporation, the first Pavesi auto-grill was located on the A4 Torino-Milano road, intending it to be a small shop for coffee, new Pavesi goods, and a place to rest. As they became more popular, Italians simply referred to them as "autogrills" without a brand affiliation. In 1977, the company became Autogrill S.p.A. and began to include gas stations while expanding throughout Europe.

Some Autogrills span a bridge over the autostrada, with locations on either side of the bridge accessible from each direction of the autostrada, making them impossible to miss on a journey. What's magical about an Autogrill is that they are not only filled with Italian delicacies, either prepared to dine-in or shoppable in a marketplace, but they are normally well-stocked and buzzing with people, including always sought-after clean restrooms.

Most locations include not just a restaurant but a coffee bar, marketplace, gas station, and sometimes a pizzeria. Visitors to an Autogrill are likely to find quality espresso beverages, fresh pastries, pre-made sandwiches, sliced Italian meats and cheeses, and sometimes more elaborate dishes like roast beef carpaccio. A plethora of packaged goods like Italian wines, dried pastas, jarred artichokes, candies, beer, and limoncello. Tourists will find a wide variety of items to bring home as souvenirs, like cookbooks, local olive oils, or even giant chocolate bars.

It's not uncommon to see a family at a table with a bottle of wine open for a leisurely meal or a Sunday lunch. Autogrills are a casual affair without traditional table service, so there's less concern about timing rules and kitchen hours that you should normally be aware of when dining out in Italy.