All Italian rest areas with a restaurant or a cafe’, an adjacent gas station and bathroom facilities are now nicknamed so even if the Autogrill chain is a specific brand name for only some (most actually) of them.
The Autogrill is not just a rest stop though. The quality of food and drinks on offer at the cafe’ is great - even if prices are really high - and many locations also have a self-service restaurant with a wide range of choice of appetizers, first and main courses, side dishes and desserts. Hot food is generally made at the moment and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are served.
The high prices are mainly due to the fact that Italian freeways are not actually free of charge and therefore drivers prefer not to exit at the tolls to go look around for eateries but they prefer to stay on the motorway and eat on the go so there is not much competition around.
The way the freeway/motorway works is that you must take a ticket upon entering at the toll and then pay when you exit at your destination. The fare is determined by the gvdistance traveled and the fare can be paid through a remote system you can install in your car (and linked to your credit card or bank account) or using cards or cash at the automated cashier (or sometimes even to a clerk).
The service at the rest stop areas is generally quick and the place is open 24/7 (although the restaurant is only open for the main meals, the cafe’ always serves sandwiches, pastries and drinks).
Alcohol cannot be served or sold past midnight and until 6 a.m. which does not make much sense given the fact that drivers stop by 24/7 and drive all the time.
But that’s the Italian Law they must follow.
The Autogrill is also a gourmet convenience store selling local specialties, pretty bags of handmade pasta, tins of olive oil, bottles of wine, spirits, candies and chocolates.
It’s a good place to get souvenirs on the go, especially the gourmet kinds.
Most packagings are solely sold here and some products come in really large sizes not available anywhere else.
When it was funded in 1947, Autogrill wanted to be one of the symbols of the Italian economic rebirth in the aftermath of the Second World War.
With the beginning of the economic boom, at the turn of the fifties and sixties, the number of cars and heavy vehicles in circulation increased every day and, on the main communication routes, and overtaking lanes began to appear. The Autogrill became a refreshment area for motorists and truck drivers, a symbol of a dynamic and moving country.
The motorways quickly became not only a means of connection between the cities of the country but also a real destination, even a Sunday meeting place for families in the ‘60s, ‘70s and through the ‘80s.
I recall going with my family to the Autogrill on Sundays in the ‘80s for instance just to get chocolate coins which were not sold anywhere else.
Some sandwiches served here have become staple food for road travelers and they are quite famous recipes here in Italy because they serve creative panini they only make.
The bathroom facilities are normally very proper (not a given in Italy unfortunately) and they even have showers so truck drivers can take a shower in between work shifts if they wish.
