Italy will bring thousands of kilometres of roads back under state control after the powerful Benetton family agreed to give up its stake in Atlantia SpA (BIT:ATL) motorway unit to avoid the threatened cancellation of its lucrative operating concession. Under the deal, Cassa depositi e prestiti S.p.A., a state lender, and allied investors will take a 51% stake in Atlantia’s Autostrade per l'Italia SpA unit, prior to an eventual spin-off and listing. The CDP’s entry into Autostrade would come through a capital increase diluting Atlantia’s 88% stake in Autostrade. The unit would then be spun off with the Benettons selling their holding to the CDP and other new investors over the next 12 months. A source close to the Benetton family said the deal, hammered out between Atlantia Chief Executive Carlo Bertazzo and Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri, “was done with a pistol to the head but it’s better than any alternative”.