Italy's decision to approve the construction between Sicily and the mainland of what would be the world's longest single-span bridge has set the stage for a legal battle that could further delay a project first conceived by the ancient Romans.

Italy has cleared the way to build the world’s largest suspension bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily.

Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot.