The Autostrada dei Laghi, inaugurated in 1923, represented a fundamental shift in civil engineering as the first road globally designed exclusively for high-speed motor vehicles. Piero Puricelli, the Milanese engineer behind this project, conceptualized the motorway to support the emerging automobile industry at a time when horse-drawn carts and bicycles dominated Italian infrastructure.
Early Career and Education
Born in 1883 in Milan to Angelo and Carlotta Combi, Piero Puricelli pursued his professional training outside of his home country. He attended the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, graduating with an engineering degree in 1905. He eventually held the title of Count of Lomnago and married Antonietta Tosi, with whom he had one son, Franco.
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In January 1922, the Automobile Club of Milan commissioned the construction of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza to mark its twenty-fifth anniversary. Puricelli collaborated with engineers Arturo Mercanti and Alfredo Rosselli to design the facility. The project, located within the park of the Villa Reale in Monza, spanned 10 kilometres and was completed in 110 days. The circuit officially opened on 28 July when Pietro Bordino and Felice Nazzaro completed the inaugural lap in a Fiat 570.
Pioneering the Motorway
Following the First World War, Puricelli addressed the limitations of existing road networks for motorized travel. In 1922, he designed a route connecting Milan to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. King Vittorio Emanuele III inaugurated the first section to Gallarate on 20 September 1923, with an extension to Varese following in September 1924. This development was significant given that in 1924, Italy contained fewer than 85,000 motor vehicles, half of which were concentrated in Lombardy.
Political Service and Institutional Roles
Puricelli entered the Italian Senate in 1929, an appointment facilitated by the National Fascist Party. His political career concluded in 1945 following his removal by the High Court of Justice for Sanctions against Fascism, though he was acquitted of collaboration charges in July 1946. Outside of legislative duties, he served as president of the companies La strada and Autostrade starting in 1929, president of the International Union of Trade Shows in 1931, and vice-president of the Bureau International des Expositions.
Fast facts
- Born: 1883, Milan
- Died: 1951, Milan
- Education: ETH Zurich
- Key Project: Autostrada dei Laghi
- Monza Completion: 110 days
- Senate Appointment: 1929
- Honorary Degree: Polytechnic University of Milan, 1927
Questions readers ask
Was the Autostrada dei Laghi the world's first road for cars?
It was the first motorway built exclusively for motor vehicles. While the AVUS road in Berlin existed earlier, it primarily functioned as a test and race track.
What happened to Puricelli after the fall of Fascism?
He was removed from the Senate in 1945 for his political actions, but the High Court of Justice acquitted him of collaboration charges in 1946.
Achievements
- Educated at ETH Zurich
- Worked as engineer, politician and civil engineer
