The Mediterranean Grand Tour brings innovation on the road: Politecnico di Milano, University of Salerno, and MOST lead the future of autonomous mobility
April 23rd, 2025
Abstract
A week of events, on-road testing, dialogue with schools and institutions, and the premiere of a docufilm. The Mediterranean Grand Tour was much more than just a journey—it was a key milestone in sharing with local communities the results of a year of research on autonomous mobility. Organized as part of the AIDA – Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous project, led by Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with the University of Salerno and supported by the National Center for Sustainable Mobility MOST, the tour brought the discussion on the future of smart mobility to Southern Italy.
Between research, education, and experimentation
The tour began at the University of Salerno with two thematic workshops organized by the Department of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. Students, professors, companies, and institutions discussed key topics such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving systems, and the skills needed for emerging professions. It was a valuable opportunity to strengthen the link between education and innovation within the region.
This was followed by an open-traffic test on the Naples Ring Road, made possible through collaboration with Movyon (a company of the Autostrade per l’Italia group) and the traffic modeling group at the University of Naples Federico II. The goal was to assess the interaction between vehicle and infrastructure using advanced communication technology to improve real-time traffic management.
Autonomous mobility at the forefront
The journey continued with the AIDA team’s participation in the opening leg of the 1000 Miglia Experience Italy, where the autonomous Maserati GranCabrio Folgore—developed at Politecnico di Milano—travelled the scenic Sorrento–Matera route, showcasing the tangible results of the work carried out. The tour concluded with the premiere of the docufilm “AIDA” at the Reggia of Caserta: a human and technological story of a young and motivated research team capable of making the themes of smart mobility accessible and engaging.
An ecosystem of shared innovation
The Grand Tour also resulted from a major collaboration between universities, companies, and institutions. Among the partners involved was A2A S.p.A., which launched a pilot autonomous car-sharing project in Brescia earlier this year, and Milano Serravalle – Milano Tangenziali S.p.A., which is developing a multimodal hub integrating various local transport modes. Also supporting the project was Cisco Italy, which has long worked on secure interconnection between vehicles and digital networks, and of course Autostrade per l’Italia S.p.A., which—with the support of Movyon—is promoting the digitalization of its infrastructures to accommodate autonomous vehicles. All these players share a common vision: to build a mobility system that is more sustainable, connected, and people-centered.
A mission carried forward by MOST—the National Center for Sustainable Mobility—which brings together 25 Italian universities, the National Research Council (CNR), and 24 major companies, with an investment of over €370 million in its first three years. Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi, Director of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano and Scientific Director of the project, emphasized that the Mediterranean Grand Tour represents only the beginning of a broader journey aimed at transforming Italian cities into real laboratories of sustainable innovation.
Between research, education, and experimentation
The tour began at the University of Salerno with two thematic workshops organized by the Department of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. Students, professors, companies, and institutions discussed key topics such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving systems, and the skills needed for emerging professions. It was a valuable opportunity to strengthen the link between education and innovation within the region.
This was followed by an open-traffic test on the Naples Ring Road, made possible through collaboration with Movyon (a company of the Autostrade per l’Italia group) and the traffic modeling group at the University of Naples Federico II. The goal was to assess the interaction between vehicle and infrastructure using advanced communication technology to improve real-time traffic management.
Autonomous mobility at the forefront
The journey continued with the AIDA team’s participation in the opening leg of the 1000 Miglia Experience Italy, where the autonomous Maserati GranCabrio Folgore—developed at Politecnico di Milano—travelled the scenic Sorrento–Matera route, showcasing the tangible results of the work carried out. The tour concluded with the premiere of the docufilm “AIDA” at the Reggia of Caserta: a human and technological story of a young and motivated research team capable of making the themes of smart mobility accessible and engaging.
An ecosystem of shared innovation
The Grand Tour also resulted from a major collaboration between universities, companies, and institutions. Among the partners involved was A2A S.p.A., which launched a pilot autonomous car-sharing project in Brescia earlier this year, and Milano Serravalle – Milano Tangenziali S.p.A., which is developing a multimodal hub integrating various local transport modes. Also supporting the project was Cisco Italy, which has long worked on secure interconnection between vehicles and digital networks, and of course Autostrade per l’Italia S.p.A., which—with the support of Movyon—is promoting the digitalization of its infrastructures to accommodate autonomous vehicles. All these players share a common vision: to build a mobility system that is more sustainable, connected, and people-centered.
A mission carried forward by MOST—the National Center for Sustainable Mobility—which brings together 25 Italian universities, the National Research Council (CNR), and 24 major companies, with an investment of over €370 million in its first three years. Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi, Director of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano and Scientific Director of the project, emphasized that the Mediterranean Grand Tour represents only the beginning of a broader journey aimed at transforming Italian cities into real laboratories of sustainable innovation.
