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The road system built during the Roman Empire continues to have a significant impact on modern infrastructure in Italy. This paper examines the historical influence of Roman roads on the development of Italy's motorways and railways. The empirical analysis demonstrates how modern Italian transport infrastructure largely follows the path of the consular trajectories established by the network of Roman roads. These ancient roads, being paved and connecting the extremes of the Italian peninsula, have endured over time, serving as the foundational physical capital for the development of the current transport network. Overall, this research highlights the enduring legacy of the Roman road system and the robustness of Roman roads as an instrument in determining the causal effect of modern infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates a measure of coal price for all NUTS3 Italian provinces between 1861 and 1911. Italy was a latecomer country and its late industrialization was characterized by the absence of coal in a time when the steam engine powered factory work. The new variable accounts for the main input factor of manufacturing production during that period in which the Italian economy registered a long-term growth of GDP and an increase in its industrial activity. The measure allows to speculate on the importance of coal for Italian industrialization and on the origins of the North–South divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European dwarf mantis Ameles spallanzania (Rossi) (Mantodea Mantidae) is a European-Mediterranean species that has shown rapid expansion in Italy over the past few decades. Its rapid diffusion in the northern peninsula seems to be linked to artificial communication routes, such as railways. This article reports the first records of this species in the Western Alps (Susa Valley), in the Natura 2000 site IT1110030. Some surveys were carried out on the area of presence and a generalized linear model (GLM) was implemented to investigate the relationship between the habitat and its presence-absence. The results indicate a preference for sparsely and vegetated environments with presence of flowering plants typical of xeric areas. The proximity of some observations to the railways suggests that the new presence data may be related to a new colonization rather than a relict population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the view of the British considering the role and meddling of Italy, regarding solving the so called Carinthian question 1918-1920. The analysis was based on unpublished British primary sources. The authors studied the tense post-war relations between Italy and the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Taking this into regard, they highlighted the problem of railway connections from Trieste via Central Europe. Two out of three international lines had to go through the Slovenian (Yugoslavian) territory. Italy strove hard to set up and use lines away from the Yugoslav territory which resulted in her support to Austria and her territorial aspirations. Furthermore, the authors concentrated on military clashes which happened in Carinthia - the Italian military encroached upon it on June 13th, 1919 and consequently occupied part of it. As the British came to find out, the Italian support for Austrian territorial aspirations was obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the debate on the effects of transport infrastructure endowment on productivity by adding a historical perspective. This allows us to address the issue in a proving ground where the effects of the existing stock of infrastructure are negligible. At the time of unification, the Kingdom of Italy initiated a large infrastructure project to build railways. We find that railways had a positive effect on manufacturing productivity over the period 1871–1911. Railways also had strong spillover effects in neighboring provinces so that provinces that started with a higher endowment of railways benefited more than those who were newly endowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to fill the research gap represented by the lack of analysis on the industry's specific factors which affect the evolution of customer-supplier relationships and the entire supply chain organisation in the railway manufacturing industry by providing an interpretative framework. Design/methodology/approach -- The research is based upon an in-depth longitudinal case study on AnsaldoBreda, the main Italian railway company that is representative of the EU context. The study was conducted over a period of ten years. Findings -- The empirical findings highlighted that in recent decades the hierarchical relationships among firms operating in the Italian railway have been modified. Moreover, regarding the evolution of the supply system four main phases are illustrated and the gap with other industrial sectors is remarked. Research limitations/implications -- The approach taken restricts the empirical findings to the Italian railway industry. However, various elements show that the case study is representative of the European railway industry as well. Practical implications -- The paper provides practical indications at three different levels: for large firms (both manufacturers and operator firms) regarding the leading role assumed in the supply chain, for small supplier firms regarding cost efficiency, technology, organisation and quality improvement to be competitive in the global market, and for railway transport as a whole regarding quality of service, customer satisfaction and railway transport demand. Originality/value -- The paper provides a conceptual framework to interpret the supply chain evolution based upon the changing role of the leader firm while providing insight on the impact of liberalisation/globalisation processes on the supply chain organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the possibility of installing a double-circuit gas insulated transmission line (GIL) in the pilot tunnel of the planned new railway galleries Bolzano (Italy)- Innsbruck (Austria). This EHV transmission line could represent a new fundamental step in reconstructing the transnational networks. The high GIL power ratings together with very low power losses would be a strong and highly efficient transmission tie between Italy and Austria particularly useful for the future European Market. The steady-state regime of the line and the electro-magnetic field impact are analyzed. Moreover, the paper discusses the necessary studies to be carried out and the problems that have to be faced. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study we investigated the bioaccumulation of selected trace elements in lichen samples transplanted for three months in Milan, Italy, with the aim of assessing the main environmental contaminants and the overall pollution load, and of disentangling the main air pollution sources as well as of estimating fluxes of element deposition. The results highlighted Cu and Sb as important contaminants and suggested a common origin for these two elements from railways and non-exhaust sources of vehicular traffic such as brake abrasion. High or very high global air pollution emerged for all study sites. Source apportionment outlined three main factors, that found reliable correlation with distance from major roads and railways, an industrial plant, and soil resuspension. Ranges of estimated mean annual element deposition rates in the study area were similar to those reported for other cities. Image 1 • Lichen biomonitoring and PMF source apportionment efficiently trace the origin of metal air pollution in Milan. • Cu and Sb are the airborne elements of major concern in Milan, Italy. • Brake abrasion from railways and vehicles is the main source of metal air pollution. • Dismissed factories still contribute to air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]