The families of the victims ask for answers after so many years of uncertainty.

Egle Possetti, who also represents the committee of victims’ relatives, says she and other relatives of the deceased hope that responsibility will be clearly determined.

“For many years, lawyers told us that what happened was no one’s fault, that it was just an accident. But this decision could be symbolically very important. Finding out who is responsible could give us a kind of peace and a sense of justice.”

On the eve of the verdict, Autostrade per l’Italia issued its first apology for the disaster, in an open letter from CEO Arrigo Giana published in two Italian newspapers.

Giana, who took office last year, wrote that she had long wondered why the company never apologized at the time, calling it an “additional and incomprehensible wound” to a community already in shock.

He said the current company operates under different ownership and management, and that making peace now, even if it cannot undo the families’ pain, was a moral duty. Aspi and Spea are no longer accused in the criminal case, having agreed to pay around €30m (£25m) in damages.

The remains of the old viaduct were blown up in early 2019 with two explosions.

A new viaduct, designed by Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano, was inaugurated just 18 months later, in August 2020.

Known as the San Giorgio Bridge of Genoa, its white pillars in the shape of sails are intended to evoke the city’s maritime history.

The committee of relatives of the victims will hold a press conference in Genoa on Thursday afternoon, once the verdict has been pronounced.