Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the
capital
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
of the Italian
Metropolitan City of Messina
The Metropolitan City of Messina () is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina. It replaced the province of Messina and comprises Messina and 107 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune'').
It has 595,948 inhabitants as o ...
. It is the third largest city on the island of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants in the city proper and about 595,948 in the metropolitan city as of 2025.
It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...
and it is an important access terminal to
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
region,
Villa San Giovanni
Villa San Giovanni () is a port city and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria of Calabria, Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747 with a decrease of 2.5% until 2016 and in 2020 an increase of 3.7%. It is an important term ...
,
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
on the mainland.
Founded by the
Sicels
The Sicels ( ; or ''Siculī'') were an Indo-European tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily, their namesake, during the Iron Age. They spoke the Siculian language. After the defeat of the Sicels at the Battle of Nomae in 450 BC and the death of ...
with the name of ''Zancle'' in 757 BC, which in
their language meant sickle, it was repopulated by
Greek colonists of
Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...
and renamed ''Messana''. The city was renamed ''Messina'' in the
Byzantine age. It was an important
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
, and then
Greek-Byzantine city, but in 843 it was completely destroyed by the
Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
. Almost abandoned during the Islamic period, it rose again in the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
era and reached the height of its grandeur between the late
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
and the mid-17th century, when it competed with
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
for the role of capital of the
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...
.
Put to fire and sword in 1678 after a
historic anti-Spanish revolt that led to the annihilation of its ruling class, it was seriously damaged by
an earthquake in 1783. In 1908,
another earthquake
''Another Earthquake!'' is the fourth studio album by American teen pop singer Aaron Carter, released on September 3, 2002. The album made its chart debut at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 (with 41,000 units sold), but fell ...
destroyed the city almost entirely, causing the death of about half the population. Rebuilding started in 1912, largely in the
Liberty style
Liberty style ( ) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ("floral style"), ("new art"), or ("modern style" not to be confused with the Spanish variant of Art Nouveau ...
, and an orderly and regular network of wide and straight streets in a north-south direction was built. Being a strategic target, the city of the strait was heavily bombed by the
Allies of World War II
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international Coalition#Military, military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its principal members were the "Four Policeme ...
in 1943 during the
landing in Sicily, being hit by about 6,500 tons of explosives in about 2,800 air raids and four naval bombardments. This event earned the city the
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers.
The face of the medal displayed the profile o ...
.
Its port, for thousands of years has been one of the main commercial crossroads of the Mediterranean and only recently becoming a port of call for ferries to the continent, is the first
in Italy in terms of number of passengers in transit.
According to
Eurostat
Eurostat ("European Statistical Office"; also DG ESTAT) is a department of the European Commission ( Directorate-General), located in the Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statist ...
the
FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants. The city's main resources are its seaports (commercial and military shipyards),
cruise tourism, commerce, and agriculture (wine production and cultivating lemons, oranges,
mandarin oranges, and olives). The city has been a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Archdiocese and Archimandrite seat since 1548 and is home to a locally important international fair. The city has the
University of Messina
The University of Messina (; Latin: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Founded in 1548 by Pope Paul III, it was the world's first Jesuit college, and today it ...
, founded in 1548 by
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
.
Name
* ''Zancle'', from the
Siculian
Siculian (or Sicel) is an extinct Indo-European language spoken in central and eastern Sicily by the Sicels. It is attested in fewer than thirty inscriptions in eastern Sicily from the late 6th century to 4th century BCE, and in around twenty-five ...
meaning "
scythe
A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...
", that characterizes the singular shape of the natural port, from the founding of the city by the
Sicels
The Sicels ( ; or ''Siculī'') were an Indo-European tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily, their namesake, during the Iron Age. They spoke the Siculian language. After the defeat of the Sicels at the Battle of Nomae in 450 BC and the death of ...
in 757 BC up to the
Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...
age;
* ''Dankle'' (Ζάγκλης), from the Greek meaning "
scythe
A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...
" in the
Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...
age up to
Anaxilas of Rhegium;
* ''Messene'' (Μεσσήνη), a name that was given to the city in the Magna Graecia age by
Anaxilas of Rhegium, when he settled refugees from
Messenia
Messenia or Messinia ( ; ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a prefecture (''nomos' ...
there at the beginning of the 5th century BC;
* ''Messana'', in the
Roman age
In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
;
* ''Messina'', from the
Byzantine age to today.
History

Founded by
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
colonists of
Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...
in the 8th century BC, Messina was originally called ''Zancle'' (), from the Greek meaning "
scythe
A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...
" because of the shape of its natural harbour (though a legend attributes the name to King
Zanclus
Zanclus (Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: ...
). A ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' of its Metropolitan City, located at the southern entrance of the
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...
, is to this day called 'Scaletta Zanclea'.
Solinus
__NOTOC__
Gaius Julius Solinus, better known simply as Solinus, was a Latin grammarian, geographer, and compiler who probably flourished in the early 3rd century AD. Historical scholar Theodor Mommsen dates him to the middle of the 3rd century.
...
wrote that the city of
Metauros
Metauros (also known as Metauria, in ancient Greek: Μέταυρος, and in Latin: Matauros) was an ancient city of Magna Graecia, located on the right bank of the Metauro River (modern-day Petrace) in what is now the town of Gioia Tauro, Calabr ...
was established by people from Zancle.
In the early 5th century BC
Anaxilas of Rhegium renamed it ''Messene'' () in honour of the Greek city
Messene
Messene (Greek language, Greek: Μεσσήνη 𐀕𐀼𐀙 ''Messini''), officially Ancient Messene, is a local community within the regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') of Messenia in the region (''perifereia'') of Peloponnese (region), P ...
(See also
List of traditional Greek place names
This is a list of Greek place names as they exist in the Greek language.
*Places involved in the history of Greek culture, including:
**Historic Greek regions, including:
***Ancient Greece, including colonies and contacted peoples
*** Hellenis ...
). Later,
Micythus
Micythus (), son of Choerus, was a 5th-century BC tyrant of Rhegium (modern Reggio Calabria) and Zancle (modern Messina) in Magna Graecia. He also founded the city of Pyxus (c. 471 BC).
He was at first a slave in the service of Anaxilas, tyrant ...
was the ruler of
Rhegium
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
and Zancle, and he also founded the city of
Pyxus
Policastro Bussentino (or simply Policastro) is an Italian town and hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Santa Marina (of which it is its seat) in the province of Salerno, Campania region. It is a former bishopric, now titular see, and ...
.
The city was
sacked in 397 BC by the
Carthaginians
The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...
and then reconquered by
Dionysius I of Syracuse
Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder ( 432 – 367 BC) was a Greek tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily. He conquered several cities in Sicily and southern Italy, opposed Carthage's influence in Sicily and made Syracuse the most powerful of the Western ...
.

In 288 BC the
Mamertines
The Mamertines (, "sons of Mars", ) were mercenaries of Italian origin who had been hired from their home in Campania by Agathocles (361–289 BC), Tyrant of Syracuse and self-proclaimed King of Sicily. After Syracuse lost the Seventh Sicilia ...
seized the city by treachery, killing all the men and taking the women as their wives. The city became a base from which they ravaged the countryside, leading to a conflict with the expanding regional empire of
Syracuse
Syracuse most commonly refers to:
* Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse
* Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area
Syracuse may also refer to:
Places
* Syracuse railway station (disambiguation)
Italy
* Provi ...
.
Hiero II
Hiero II (; also Hieron ; ; c. 308 BC – 215 BC) was the Greek tyrant of Syracuse, Greek Sicily, from 275 to 215 BC, and the illegitimate son of a Syracusan noble, Hierocles, who claimed descent from Gelon. He was a former general of Pyrrhus o ...
, tyrant of Syracuse, defeated the Mamertines near
Mylae
Milazzo (; ; ) is a municipality () in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. It is the largest municipality in the Metropolitan City after Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The town has a population of around 31,500 in ...
on the
Longanus River
The Longanus (also Longanos or Loitanus) was a river in north-eastern Sicily on the Mylae, Mylaean plain. As recorded by Polybius, it was where the Mamertines were drastically defeated by Hiero II of Syracuse in around 269 BC. The small settlement ...
and besieged Messina.
Carthage
Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...
assisted the Mamertines because of a
long-standing conflict with Syracuse over dominance in Sicily. When Hiero attacked a second time in 264 BC, the Mamertines petitioned the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...
for an alliance, hoping for more reliable protection. Although initially reluctant to assist lest it encourage other mercenary groups to mutiny, Rome was unwilling to see Carthaginian power spread further over Sicily and encroach on Italy. Rome, therefore, entered into an alliance with the Mamertines. In 264 BC, Roman troops were deployed to Sicily, the first time a Roman army acted outside the
Italian Peninsula. At the end of the
First Punic War
The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...
it was a free city allied with Rome. In Roman times Messina, then known as ''Messana'', had an important
pharos
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, sometimes called the Pharos of Alexandria, was a lighthouse built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (280–247 BC). It has been estimated to have been at least ...
(lighthouse). Messana was the base of
Sextus Pompeius
Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the la ...
, during his war against
Octavian
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...
.

After the fall of the
Western Roman Empire
In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...
the city was successively ruled by
Goths
The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
from 476, then by the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
in 535, by the
Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
in 842, and in 1061 by the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
brothers
Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century.
Robert was born ...
and
Roger Guiscard (later count Roger I of Sicily). In 1189 the English King
Richard I (''"The Lionheart"'') stopped at Messina en route to the
Holy Land
The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
for the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...
and briefly occupied the city after a dispute over the dowry of his sister, who had been married to
William the Good, King of Sicily.
One of the major cities on Sicily, Messina was heavily involved in the rivalry between the Anjou dynasty in Naples and the Aragonese
House of Barcelona
The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 (as kings from 1162) until 1410. They descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wilfred the Hairy. Th ...
. Initially a stronghold of Anjou support on Sicily, in 1282 the city joined the revolt of the
Sicilian Vespers
The Sicilian Vespers (; ) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou. Since taking control of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1266, the Capetian House ...
, resulting in the city being
subjected to a major siege by
Charles I of Anjou
Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...
. Messina remained a major naval base for the remainder of the ensuing twenty-year
War of the Sicilian Vespers
The War of the Sicilian Vespers, also shortened to the War of the Vespers, was a conflict waged by several medieval European kingdoms over control of Sicily from 1282 to 1302. The war, which started with the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers, was ...
, and was
besieged a second time in 1301.
In 1345
Orlando d'Aragona
Orlando (or Roland; 1296–1361) was the second-eldest Legitimacy (family law), illegitimate son of Frederick III of Sicily, Frederick II of Sicily by his concubine Sibilla di Sormella. During his father's reign, he lived in the shadows, but he r ...
, the illegitimate son of
Frederick II of Sicily was the ''
strategos
''Strategos'' (), also known by its Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized form ''strategus'', is a Greek language, Greek term to mean 'military General officer, general'. In the Hellenistic world and in the Byzantine Empire, the term was also use ...
'' of Messina.

In 1347 Messina was one of the first points of entry for the
black death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
into Western Europe.
Genoese galleys travelling from the infected city of
Kaffa carried plague into the Messina ports. Kaffa had been infected via Asian trade routes and the
siege of Kaffa from infected
Mongol
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...
armies led by
Janibeg; it was a departure point for many Italian merchants who fled the city to Sicily. Contemporary accounts from Messina tell of the arrival of "Death Ships" from the East, which floated to shore with all the passengers on board already dead or dying of plague. Plague-infected rats probably also came aboard these ships. The black death ravaged Messina and rapidly spread northward into mainland Italy from Sicily in the following few months.
In 1548
St. Ignatius founded there the first
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
college in the world, which later gave birth to the ''Studium Generale'' (the current
University of Messina
The University of Messina (; Latin: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Founded in 1548 by Pope Paul III, it was the world's first Jesuit college, and today it ...
). The Christian ships that won the
Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf o ...
left from Messina: the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
author
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...
, who took part in the battle, recovered for some time in the ''Grand Hospital''. The city reached the peak of its splendour in the early 17th century, under Spanish domination: at the time it was one of the ten greatest cities in Europe.

In 1674 the city
rebelled against the foreign garrison. It managed to remain independent for some time, thanks to the help of the French king
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, but in 1678, with the
Peace of Nijmegen
The Treaties or Peace of Nijmegen (; ; ) were a series of treaty, treaties signed in the Dutch Republic, Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, ...
, it was reconquered by the Spaniards and sacked: the university, the senate and all the privileges of autonomy it had enjoyed since the Roman times were abolished. A
massive fortress was built by the occupants and Messina decayed steadily. In 1743, 48,000 died of a second wave of
plague in the city.
In 1783 an
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
devastated much of the city, and it took decades to rebuild and rekindle the cultural life of Messina. In 1847 it was one of the first cities in Italy where
Risorgimento
The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...
riots broke out. In 1848 it rebelled openly against the reigning
Bourbons
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...
, but was heavily suppressed again. Only in 1860, after the
Battle of Milazzo Battle of Milazzo may refer to the following battles fought near the city of Milazzo in Sicily, southern Italy:
* Battle of Mylae (260 BC)
*Battle of Milazzo (880)
*Battle of Milazzo (888)
*Battle of Milazzo (1718), during the War of the Quadruple ...
, the
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...
ne troops occupied the city. One of the main figures of the
unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...
,
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, ; ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the ...
, was elected
deputy
Deputy or depute may refer to:
* Steward (office)
* Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy"
* Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including:
** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...
at Messina in the general elections of 1866. Another earthquake of less intensity damaged the city on 16 November 1894. The city was almost entirely destroyed by
an earthquake and associated
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
on the morning of 28 December 1908, killing about 100,000 people and destroying most of the ancient architecture. The city was largely rebuilt in the following year. However, thousands of residents displaced by the earthquake lived in shanty towns outside the city until the late 1930s, when further reconstruction finally commenced.
It incurred further damage from the massive Allied air bombardments of 1943; before and during the
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...
. Messina, owing to its strategic importance as a transit point for Axis troops and supplies sent to Sicily from mainland Italy, was a prime target for the British and American air forces, which dropped some 6,500 tons of bombs in the span of a few months. These raids destroyed one-third of the city, and caused 854 deaths among the population. The city was awarded a
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers.
The face of the medal displayed the profile o ...
and one for Civil Valor by the Italian government in memory of the event and the subsequent effort of reconstruction.
In June 1955 Messina was the location of the
Messina Conference
The Messina Conference of 1955 was a meeting of the six member states of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The conference assessed the progress of the ECSC and, deciding that it was working well, proposed further European integrati ...
of
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
an
foreign minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
s which led to the creation of the
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
. The conference was held mainly in Messina's
City Hall building (
it), and partly in nearby
Taormina
Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...
.
The city is home to a small
Greek-speaking minority, which arrived from the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
between 1533 and 1534 when fleeing the expansion of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. They were officially recognised in 2012.
Geography
Territory

Located in the north-eastern corner of Sicily, on the western shore of the
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...
(
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...
)— altitude above sea level
— it extends for of municipal surface. Its extension on the coast ( from the coast of Giampilieri to the south to that of Orto Liuzzo to the north), which makes it the "longest" and most maritime city in Italy.
The municipality is located from
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
and from
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
, squeezed between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts and the
Peloritani
The Peloritani ( Sicilian: , ) are a mountain range of north-eastern Sicily, in southern Italy, extending for some from Capo Peloro to the Nebrodi Mountains. On the north and east they are bordered by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas res ...
mountains, it overlooks with its large natural, military and commercial port, closed by the sickle-shaped peninsula of San Raineri, in front of
Villa San Giovanni
Villa San Giovanni () is a port city and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria of Calabria, Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747 with a decrease of 2.5% until 2016 and in 2020 an increase of 3.7%. It is an important term ...
and a little further north than
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
. Cape Peloro, in the northern part of the city, is instead opposite
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla ( ; , ) is a legendary, man-eating monster that lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart, the sea-swallowing monster Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's range o ...
. In these waters is located the myth of Scylla and
Charybdis
Charybdis (; , ; , ) is a sea monster in Greek mythology. Charybdis, along with the sea monster Scylla, appears as a challenge to epic characters such as Odysseus, Jason, and Aeneas. Scholarship locates her in the Strait of Messina.
The idiom " ...
, whose whirlpools are compared to the punishment of the souls of hell that go round and round and collide eternally ("''qui la gente riddi''" in
Sicilian).
An era of the
Neogene
The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...
, a fraction of the upper
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
, a period known as the one in which the Mediterranean increased its salinity following the closing of the
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa.
The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
, takes the name of Messinian from the discovery in Messina of its characteristic rocks, the
evaporites
An evaporite () is a water-soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as ocean ...
.
From sea level, within the same municipality, it is possible to climb up to above sea level
, via the hills overlooking the city, to Mount Dinnammare, from the Latin "''bimaris''", two seas. From here the view extends over the two seas of the city, the Ionian, the Strait of Messina and the Tyrrhenian. To the east, the entire city of Messina can be seen, while across the sea Calabria from its southernmost point to
Capo Vaticano
Capo Vaticano is a wide bathing place in the Municipality of Ricadi in Calabria, Italy. The 'Cape' is formed by a particular white-grey granite, which is examined worldwide for its geologic characteristics.
Geography
The maximum altitude of th ...
, in the
province of Vibo Valentia
The province of Vibo Valentia (; Vibonese: ) is a province in the Calabria region of Italy, set up by a national law of 6 March 1992, which came into effect on 1 January 1996, and formerly part of the province of Catanzaro. Its capital is the ...
. To the south, the imposing view of
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...
is clearly visible. To the northwest, the
Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands ( ; ; ), sometimes referred to as the Lipari Islands or Lipari group ( , ) after their largest island, are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said to be named after Aeolus, the mythical ruler of ...
and the Tyrrhenian coast with
Capo Milazzo, Capo Tindari and Capo Calavà in
Gioiosa Marea
Gioiosa Marea ( Sicilian: ''Giujusa'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about west of Messina.
Gioiosa Marea borders the following municipalities: ...
.
The city develops mainly in a longitudinal direction along the coast of the strait without interruption from Giampilieri Marina to Capo Peloro for
in the Ionian strip. The Tyrrhenian strip, long,
extends from Capo Peloro to Ponte Gallo. The central urban area, which can be enclosed between the Annunziata and San Filippo streams, now covered by the road surface, is about long, with little inclination towards the west due to the hilly buttresses of the Peloritani, which prevent the development of a large geometric urban network in that direction. The extreme proximity of the mountains gives the western part of the city a certain slope, overcome with steps and crossed by the panoramic ring road located upstream. There are numerous "urban intrusions" towards the interior, corresponding to the short plains of the streams, which tend to incorporate as districts some of the oldest farmhouses in the city territory, the so-called "Villaggi", currently 48.
Climate

Messina has a
subtropical Mediterranean climate with long, hot summers with low
diurnal temperature variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...
and consistently dry weather. In winter, Messina is rather wet and mild. Diurnals remain low and remain averaging above lows even during winter. It is rather rainier than
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
on the other side of the
Messina Strait, a remarkable climatic difference for such a small distance.
The winter, short, presents rare episodes of cold that in rare cases can also bring snow in the hinterland of the city. The last snowy episode occurred on 7 January 2017, preceded by the event of 31 December 2014 and even before that by that of 30 January 1999.
The summer, hot, but due to the sea breezes, is not particularly muggy. The average humidity value tends to be lower during the hottest hours of the day.
Furthermore, the presence of the sea tends to contain the maximum temperature values; only in the presence of southern winds (during the major heat waves) do reach , and in these cases the humidity levels are very high, reaching over 80%.
Precipitation is consistent as Messina is among the medium-large municipalities of the island, the rainiest coastal city in Sicily. An average annual rainfall of
places the city of the strait above the Italian average. Precipitation is concentrated mainly between autumn and winter but in the summer season there are some thunderstorms. The abundant rainfall in Messina derives from various factors and in particular from the relatively high reliefs close to the area on which the city stands, in Sicily the eastern Nebrodi and the Peloritani, in Calabria the Aspromonte, reliefs that cause frequent
orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
phenomena and the presence of two seas, the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian, which create frequent conditions favorable to precipitation.
Demographics
The city's population reached a peak of 260,118 inhabitants in 1981, after which it decreased at a rate of 1,000 inhabitants per year. The first reason for this phenomenon is the chronic employment crisis, the second the transfer to neighbouring municipalities. The 1911 census recorded a drastic contraction due to the
1908 Messina earthquake
A devastating earthquake occurred on 28 December 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily f ...
. The victims were actually much more numerous than would appear from a simple subtraction between the data of that census and the previous one, because the city, almost entirely depopulated, was repopulated by inhabitants from other areas of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
and
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
, attracted by the reconstruction and by the large gaps that opened up in public employment and trade. The families from Messina who had lived in the city since before 1908 are now very few.
Government
Municipal administration

The
Mayor of Messina is an elected politician who, along with the Messina's City Council, is accountable for the strategic government of Messina. According to the
Italian Constitution
The Constitution of the Italian Republic () was ratified on 22 December 1947 by the Constituent Assembly, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against, before coming into force on 1 January 1948, one century after the previous Constitution of the Ki ...
, the Mayor of Messina is member of the City Council. The Mayor is elected by the population of Messina, who also elects the members of the City Council, controlling the Mayor's policy guidelines and is able to enforce his resignation by a
motion of no confidence
A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
. The Mayor is entitled to appoint and release the members of his government.
Since 1994 the Mayor is elected directly by Messina's electorate: in all mayoral elections in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in cities with a population higher than 15,000 the voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives at least 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.
Administrative subdivisions
The territory of the municipality of Messina is divided into six districts, which are in turn divided into dozens of ''
frazioni
A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
'', almost all ancient villages, called "casali". For this reason, the city can be considered polycentric, because beyond the historic center of the city itself, there are many historic centers in the suburbs, namely the 48 ''frazioni'' of Messina, located along the valleys and on the hills.
Metropolitan area of Messina
The metropolitan area of Messina, still unimplemented to date, was established in 1986 by the
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
region and delimited by a decree of 1995. It would include 51 municipalities on a surface of and would be characterized by an uninterrupted ribbon-like coastal conurbation of between
Furnari
Furnari (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Fùrnari'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italy, Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about west of Messina.
Furnari borders the following ...
on the
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy.
Geography
The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...
and the
Alcantara River
The Alcantara (; or ) is a river in Sicily, Southern Italy. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos. The river is long.
The name ''Alcantara'' is of Arabic origin () ...
on the
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...
, passing through
Milazzo
Milazzo (; ; ) is a municipality () in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. It is the largest municipality in the Metropolitan City after Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The town has a population of around 31,500 inh ...
,
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (; Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Baccialona Pizzaottu'') is a town and ''comune'' of about 50,000 inhabitants in the north coast of Sicily, Italy, from Messina towards Palermo. It belongs to the Metropolitan City ...
,
Lipari
Lipari (; ) is a ''comune'' including six of seven islands of the Aeolian Islands (Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea, Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi) and it is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, Southern Italy; it is ...
,
Taormina
Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...
and
Giardini Naxos
Giardini NaxosSometimes spelled as Giardini-Naxos. However, the official form as used in the statuto comunale'' is not hyphenated. (; English translation: Naxos Gardens) is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Messina on the island of Sicil ...
Main sights
Religious architecture

* The
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
(12th century), containing the remains of the king
Conrad
Conrad may refer to:
People
* Conrad (name)
* Saint Conrad (disambiguation)
Places
United States
* Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Conrad, Iowa, a city
* Conrad, Montana, a city
* Conrad Glacier, Washington
Elsewher ...
, ruler of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and Sicily in the 13th century. The building had to be almost entirely rebuilt in 1919–20, following the devastating
1908 earthquake, and again in 1943, after a fire triggered by Allied bombings. The original
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
structure can be recognised in the apsidal area. The façade has three late
Gothic portals, the central of which probably dates back to the early 15th century. The architrave is decorated with a sculpture of ''Christ Among the Evangelists'' and various representations of men, animals and plants. The
tympanum dates back to 1468. The interior is organised in a nave and two equally long aisles divided by files of 28 columns. Some decorative elements belong the original building, although the mosaics in the
apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
are reconstructions. Tombs of illustrious men besides Conrad IV include those of Archbishops Palmer (died in 1195), Guidotto de Abbiate (14th century) and Antonio La Legname (16th century). Special interest is held by the Chapel of the Sacrament (late 16th century), with scenic decorations and 14th-century mosaics. The
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
holds the
Messina astronomical clock
The astronomical clock of Messina is an astronomical clock constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. It is built into the campanile of Messina Cathedral.
The mechanism was designed by Frédéric Klinghammer, with the artistic desi ...
, one of the largest astronomical clocks in the world, built-in 1933 by the Ungerer Company of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
. The belfry's mechanically animated statues, which illustrate events from the civil and religious history of the city every day at noon, are a popular tourist attraction.
* The Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Carmelo (near the Courthouse), built-in 1931, contains a 17th-century statue of the Virgin Mary. See also
Chiesa del Carmine.
* The Sanctuary of Montevergine, where the
incorrupt
Incorruptibility is a Catholic and Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness.
I ...
body of
Saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
Eustochia Smeralda Calafato (March 25, 1434 in Messina – January 20, 1485 also in Messina) is a Franciscan Italian saint belonging to the Order of the Poor Clares. She is co-patroness of Messina, which is also the centre of her cultus.
Biogr ...
is preserved.
* The
Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani
The Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani () is a church in Messina, Sicily, Italy. It is an example of Norman architecture in Sicily.
The church dates from the 12th century, when Sicily was under Norman rule. Built on top of the ruin ...
(late 12th–13th century). Dating from the late Norman period, it was transformed in the 13th century when the nave was shortened and the façade added. It has a cylindrical apse and a high dome emerging from a high
tambour
In classical architecture, a is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration.
The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or raised aloft on pendent ...
. Noteworthy is the external decoration of the
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
and the dome area, with a series of blind arches separated by small columns, clearly reflecting Arabic architectural influences.
* The Church of Santa Maria degli Alemanni (early 13th century), which was formerly a chapel of the
Teutonic Knights
The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...
. It is a rare example of pure Gothic architecture in Sicily, as is witnessed by the arched windows and shapely
buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es.
Civil and military architecture

* The Botanical Garden
Pietro Castelli of the
University of Messina
The University of Messina (; Latin: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Founded in 1548 by Pope Paul III, it was the world's first Jesuit college, and today it ...
.
* The Palazzo Calapaj-d'Alcontresj, an example of 18th-century Messinese architecture which is one of the few noble palazzi to have survived the 1908 earthquake.
* The
Forte del Santissimo Salvatore, a 16th-century fort in the
Port of Messina
Port of Messina () is a port serving Messina, Sicily, Italy. The port has seen a significant growth in traffic in the 21st century, and is now one of the largest and most important in the Mediterranean for cruise ships, growing from 260,000 passen ...
.
* The
Forte Gonzaga
Forte Gonzaga, also known as Castel Gonzaga, is a bastioned fort in Messina, Sicily. It was built in the mid-16th century, and it remained in use by the military until 1973. Today, the fort is in good condition.
History
In the 1540s, the fortifi ...
, a 16th-century fort overlooking Messina.
* The Porta Grazia, 17th-century gate of the "
Real Cittadella
The Real Cittadella was a fort in Messina, Sicily. The Cittadella was built between 1680 and 1686 by the Spanish Empire, and it was considered to be one of the most important fortifications in the Mediterranean. Most of the fort was demolished in ...
di Messina", by Domenico Biundo and Antonio Amato, a fortress still existing in the harbour.
* The
Pylon, built in 1957 together with a twin located across the Strait of Messina, to carry a 220 kV
overhead power line
An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more conductors (commonly multiples of three) suspended by towers or poles. ...
bringing electric power to the island. At the time of their construction, the two electric
pylons
Pylon may refer to:
Structures and boundaries
* Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral
* Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways
* Pylon, an orange mar ...
were the highest in the world. The power line has since been replaced by an underwater cable, but the pylon still stands as a freely accessible tourist attraction.
* The San Ranieri lighthouse, built in 1555.
* The Palazzo della Provincia (Palazzo dei Leoni), provincial Seat, built in 1914 by Alessandro Giunta.
* The
Palace of Culture
Palace of Culture (, , ''wénhuà gōng'', ) or House of Culture (Polish: ''dom kultury'') is a common name (generic term) for major Club (organization), club-houses (community centres) in the former Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern bloc ...
, built in 2009.
Monuments
*The Fountain of Orion, a monumental civic sculpture located next to the cathedral, built in 1547 by
Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli
Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1507 – 31 August 1563), also known as Giovann'Agnolo Montorsoli, was a Florentine sculptor and Servite friar. He is today as often remembered for his restorations of famous classical works as his original crea ...
, student of
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...
, with a Neoplatonic-alchemical program. It was considered by art historian
Bernard Berenson
Bernard Berenson (June 26, 1865 – October 6, 1959) was an American art historian specializing in the Renaissance. His book ''The Drawings of the Florentine Painters'' was an international success. His wife Mary is thought to have had a large ...
"the most beautiful fountain of the sixteenth century in Europe".
*The Fountain of Neptune, looking towards the harbour, built by Montorsoli in 1557.
*The
monument to John of Austria, by
Andrea Camalech (1572)
*The Senatory Fountain, built in 1619.
*The Four Fountains, though only two elements of the four-cornered complex survive today.
*
LaFenice, a sculpture on Piazza della Memoria
Museums
*
Museo Regionale di Messina (MuMe) hosting notable paintings by
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
,
Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina (; 1425–1430February 1479), properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina, was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Italian Early Ren ...
,
Alonzo Rodriguez
Alonzo Rodriguez (1578 – 22 April 1648), sometimes rendered Alfonso Rodriquez was a painter largely active in Messina. He is thought to have been a follower of Caravaggio.
Rodriguez' career was first recorded by Francesco Susinno in his '' ...
,
Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John.
Life
Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...
*The Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea di Messina, hostings paintings by
Giò Pomodoro
Giò Pomodoro (; 17 November 1930 – 21 December 2002) was an Italian sculptor, printmaker, and stage designer. His brother is the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro.
In 1954 he moved to Milan, where he associated with leading avant-garde artists and st ...
,
Renato Guttuso
Aldo Renato Guttuso (26 December 1911 – 18 January 1987) was an Italian painter and politician. He is considered to be among the most important Italian artists of the 20th century and is among the key figures of Italian expressionism. His art i ...
,
Lucio Fontana
Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Italian Argentines, Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor, and theorist. He is known as the founder of Spatialism and exponent of Abstract art, abstract painting as the f ...
,
Corrado Cagli,
Giuseppe Migneco,
Max Liebermann
Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...
Culture
Literature
Messina has provided the setting for two of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's plays, ''
Much Ado About Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...
'' and ''
The Winter's Tale
''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...
''. In August 2011, the city council of Messina voted to grant honorary citizenship
posthumously
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death
* Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
to William Shakespeare. In the science fiction novel ''The Condemned of Messina'' by the American writer
Ben Bova
Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fac ...
, the city of Messina is the seat of the world government.
Cuisine

The specialities of Messina's cuisine are fish and seafood dishes: swordfish, stockfish, mussels, saury, neonata and tuna. Meat-based dishes include
braciole (a unique cut different from the rest of Italy) and ''falsomagro''. Typical Messina desserts include: pignolata glazeata, ''bianco e nero'', ricotta,
cannoli
Cannoli are Sicilian pastries consisting of a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta cheese. Their size ranges from . In mainland Italy, the food is commonly known as ().
In culi ...
with a chocolate variant, and
cassata siciliana. Also typical are
focaccia
Focaccia is a Flatbread, flat leavening agent, leavened oven-baked Italian cuisine, Italian bread. In Rome, it is similar to a type of flatbread called (). Focaccia may be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread and it may be round, rectang ...
messinese (curly escarole, desalted anchovies, black pepper and tuma cheese), ''pane alla disgraziata'' ''rustici'' (
arancini
Arancini (, , ; ; : ''arancino''), also known as ''arancine'' (: ''arancina''), are Italian rice balls that are stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. They are a staple of Sicilian cuisine. The most common arancini fillings are ''a ...
, pidoni,
mozzarella in carrozza and puff pastry) and
granita
Granita () or () is a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar, water, and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily, it is available throughout Italy in varying forms. It is related to sorbet and Italian ice; however, throughout Sicily its cons ...
, in various flavours (strawberry, lemon, almond, mulberry, chocolate, pistachio and, very popular, coffee granita with cream) accompanied by the traditional brioche.
The traditional dishes linked to the various liturgical celebrations are: pidoni (a type of
calzone
Calzone is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in an oven and stuffed with prosciutto or salami, mozzarella or ricotta, and Parmesan or pecorino, as well as an egg. Different regio ...
filled with curly white escarole, salted anchovies and scamorza cheese, prepared on the
Feast of the Annunciation
The Feast of the Annunciation () commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is celebrated on 25 March; however, if 25 Marc ...
, 25 March, but also on many other occasions, for example,
St. Joseph's Day,
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the second day of Eastertide and a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries. In Western Christianity it marks the second day of the Octave of Easter; in Eastern Christianity it marks the second day of Br ...
, the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. It is one of the most important Marian feasts in the l ...
,
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
,
St. Stephen's Day
Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Ch ...
). ''U ciusceddu'' (a dish made with minced beef, veal bones, fresh ricotta, eggs, breadcrumbs, Majorcan cheese, tomatoes, onion, celery and parsley), was usually prepared on
Easter Sunday
Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...
and ''pasta 'ncaciata'' (the ingredients for the preparation are: beef, a young chicken, livers, minced lean beef, eggs, Sant'Angelo di Brolo
salami
Salami ( ; : ''salame'') is a ''salume'' consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature fo ...
,
scamorza
() is a Southern Italy, southern Italian Cattle, cow's milk cheese. It can also be made from other milk, but that is less common. It is a (‘stretched curd’) cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allo ...
, mature
pecorino
Pecorino is an Italian hard cheese produced from sheep's milk. The name derives from , which means ' sheep' in Italian.
Overview
Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have protected designation of origin (PDO) status under ...
cheese, breadcrumbs, aubergines, tomato sauce, onion, short smooth pasta, parsley, basil, lard, salt and ground black pepper). This typical dish was usually prepared on 15 August, the
feast of the Assumption
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows:
It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was ra ...
, a very popular celebration in the city of Messina where the Vara is carried in procession, a majestic votive machine in the shape of a pyramid, about high and weighing about 8 tons.
Universities
The
University of Messina
The University of Messina (; Latin: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Founded in 1548 by Pope Paul III, it was the world's first Jesuit college, and today it ...
(
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina. Founded in 1548 by
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
, it was the world's first
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
college, and today it is counted among the oldest universities in Italy. It is organized in 12 departments offering more than 80 Graduate and Undergraduate Degrees, over 20 Master's Degrees and 13 PhD Programmes. Among them, 7 are English-taught. The University counts more than 23.000 students distributed in the 4 campus facilities spread across the city.
Over the centuries the University of Messina has been a centre of attraction for esteemed scholars and historical figures, such as
Giovanni Pascoli
Giovanni Placido Agostino Pascoli (; 31 December 1855 – 6 April 1912) was an Italian poet, classical scholar and an emblematic figure of Italian literature in the late nineteenth century. Alongside Gabriele D'Annunzio, he was one of the grea ...
,
Marcello Malpighi
Marcello Malpighi (10 March 1628 – 30 November 1694) was an Italians, Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the "founder of microscopical anatomy, histology and father of physiology and embryology". Malpighi's name is borne by ...
,
Gaetano Salvemini
Gaetano Salvemini (; 8 September 1873 – 6 September 1957) was an Italian socialist and anti-fascist politician, historian, and writer. Born into a family of modest means, he became a historian of note whose work drew attention in Italy and ab ...
and
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (; 19 May 1860 – 1 December 1952) was an Italian statesman, who served as the prime minister of Italy from October 1917 to June 1919. Orlando is best known for representing Italy in the 1919 Paris Peace Conference with ...
. The Central Administration Buildings and the Faculties of
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
,
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
,
Law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
and
Education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
are located in the centre of Messina in the historical site of the University or ''Polo Centrale''.
The Faculty of
Medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
is held in the main hospital of the city, ''Policlinico G. Martino'', situated in the southern area of Messina. The Faculties of
Sciences
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
and
Engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
are located inside ''Polo Papardo'', overlooking the famous
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...
. The Faculties of
Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...
,
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
and
Humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
are established in the ''Polo Annunziata'' facility, which is also the Sport Centre of the University.
Traditions and folklore
The
Good Friday
Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
celebrations wind through the main streets of the city with the procession of the Barette (Varette), dating back to 1610 and composed of eleven groups of statues depicting episodes of the
Passion of Christ
The Passion (from latin language, Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy ...
. This procession has taken place several times for more than 150 years and owes its name of Barette to the fact that in the first editions there was only the simulacrum of the Madonna Addolorata and a fercolo with the dead Christ and five barette representing the mysteries. Among the last interruptions was that which lasted a few years due to the earthquake of 1908 and the period of the Second World War. Over the years other simulacra have been gradually added until there are twenty-one today. The barette remain kept in the Oratory of Peace which has a portal dating back to the pre-earthquake period.
On the feast day of
Corpus Christi, a long procession begins from the Cathedral, preceded by hooded Catholic believers called "Babaluci" and by all the religious associations, congregations and archconfraternities of the city. Together with the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament, carried under a rich silk canopy by the Archbishop, the "Vascelluzzo" (small vessel) is carried on the shoulders, a fercolo in chiseled silver adorned with small red drapes and ears of wheat. The work is an ex voto made by the people of Messina as a sign of thanks to the Madonna della Lettera who, according to legend, during various famines, brought several vessels loaded with wheat to the city's port. The Vascelluzzo is kept at the Church of the Sailors and is displayed behind safety glass in addition to two heavy iron grates overexposed. On the morning of Corpus Christi it is carried on the shoulders of 16 people, with a pace that makes it seem as if the Vascelluzzo is sailing on the sea, and enters the Cathedral at the stroke of midday. Once it has arrived at the main altar, the relic of the Lock of Hair of the Madonna is placed in the centre of the Vascelluzzo. In the evening, after Holy Mass, the Vascelluzzo without the relic is brought back in procession to the Church of the Sailors where it is welcomed with the setting off of fireworks.
The most important Catholic celebration, however, is the one that takes place on 15 August every year, the
Ferragosto
''Ferragosto'' is a public holiday celebrated on 15 August in all of Italy. It originates from ''Feriae Augusti'', the festival of Augustus, Emperor Augustus, who made 1 August a day of rest after weeks of hard work on the agricultural sector. ...
procession: an ancient votive machine is carried in procession by thousands of faithful, dressed in white and blue and barefoot: the Vara, depicting the phases of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven. The Vara, about 13 and a half meters high, rests on large metal slides and features numerous figures in different materials of angels, the two large rotating spheres of the Sun and the Moon and, at the top, the statue of Christ who, with one hand, supports Mary, in the act of carrying her to the Empyrean; the faithful drag it by pulling the long ropes ( each, thick) that are attached to the base along the previously wet pavement of Corso Garibaldi, from Piazza Castronovo to Via I Settembre and then from Via I Settembre, the historic artery of the city, to Piazza Duomo, where the procession ends in the evening. In the days leading up to August 15, the streets of the city are filled with the festive procession of the two Giants and the Camel, along with numerous folk groups. In particular, the two colossal statues on horseback represent the legendary founders of the city, the Messina native Mata and the Moor Grifone (known as "''u giganti e a gigantissa''"). The statues derive from the processional giants of the ancient Catalan tradition, still present today in many areas of
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
and used during various festivities, such as
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...
for the feast of Santa Tecla, or during the fiesta Mayor de Reus which takes place on the day of San Pietro Reus. Contact with the Catalan domination brought the tradition of processional giants which also spread to Sicily and today is linked to the cult of the
Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
, as in the case of the giants Mata and Grifone of the feast of the Assumption in Messina and the giants
Kronos and Mytia of the feast of the Madonna della luce in Mistretta, while the Camel recalls the triumphal entry into Messina, at the beginning of the conquest of Sicily taken from the Arabs, of the Norman Count
Roger I of Hauteville
Roger I (; ; ; Norse: ''Rogeirr''; 1031 – 22 June 1101), nicknamed "Roger Bosso" and "Grand Count Roger", was a Norman nobleman who became the first Grand Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101.
As a member of the House of Hauteville, he partic ...
, which according to tradition took place on the back of a camel.
Economy
Agriculture, fishing and livestock

Particularly important in the past, when it included highly prized derivative products such as silk and citrus products, agriculture still plays an important role in the economy of Messina today.
Agricultural and livestock activities are still practiced today in the countryside of the villages of the municipality of Messina. Among the agricultural products, the following stand out:
* Citrus fruits (lemon, orange, mandarin, clementine)
* Vines, from which excellent red and white wines are produced, including the DOC Faro
* Beer, where the Birra DOC 15 and the Birra dello Stretto have been produced since 2016 in the new Messina brewery.
Also widespread is the breeding of various types of red meat animals, especially sheep, whose meat is traditionally eaten in the city cooked in a wood oven, but above all cattle whose entrails are roasted on the grill and also sold on the street, a dish that in the Messina dialect is called: taiuni, virina and paddi i boi. Fresh milk is used for the production of:
*
Ricotta
Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...
*
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is a Types of cheese#Semi-soft cheese, semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy.
It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names:
* or mozz ...
and other dairy products.
Crafts and industry
The secondary sector is not particularly developed in the city, where it is (and was) focused on medium-sized industries, in various locations:
Regional Industrial Zone (ZIR), in the southern part of the city, there were activities such as grain milling, production of food products, prefabricated buildings, furniture, etc.
The hub for the artisanal development of Larderia, also in the southern part of the city. Numerous medium-sized artisanal activities are based there, with high-quality production (companies in the food sector, furniture, prefabricated and building materials).
A separate chapter is instead the shipbuilding sector, alive and present in the sickle-shaped area of the city port, home to the Rodriquez shipyards (now Intermarine) and the Palumbo shipyards
Tertiary

The tertiary sector is, historically, the "driving sector" of the city's economy. This is partly due to the presence of the
Port of Messina
Port of Messina () is a port serving Messina, Sicily, Italy. The port has seen a significant growth in traffic in the 21st century, and is now one of the largest and most important in the Mediterranean for cruise ships, growing from 260,000 passen ...
, which in the past was an important export hub for local products (wine, silk, and above all, citrus products) and is still today an important goods hub (in particular, raw materials and materials processed by/for the processing industries of the area).
Tourism

The tourism sector has developed with the annual presence of cruise passengers in the city, reviving Messina from a serious crisis in the sector due to the proximity of the major attractions of Taormina and the
Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands ( ; ; ), sometimes referred to as the Lipari Islands or Lipari group ( , ) after their largest island, are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said to be named after Aeolus, the mythical ruler of ...
(which make the metropolitan city the second most visited in
Southern Italy
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
after
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
and the first in
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
). In 2017, 367,269 cruise passengers disembarked at the city's port, in 2024 650,000.
With the necessary distinctions between tourists and non-tourists, the statistics show the tourism sector in clear growth compared to past years, especially with regard to the presence of foreign tourists, thanks to the artistic attractions (historical center and monuments, Regional Museum with works by
Antonello and
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
) and naturalistic attractions (
Capo Peloro,
Lake Ganzirri,
Peloritani
The Peloritani ( Sicilian: , ) are a mountain range of north-eastern Sicily, in southern Italy, extending for some from Capo Peloro to the Nebrodi Mountains. On the north and east they are bordered by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas res ...
mountains).
The seaside sector is particularly lively, especially along the coasts of the northern area, around Capo Peloro (the closest point to the
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
n coast, where the lighthouse stands), which overlook the
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...
(and therefore the Strait) and the
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy.
Geography
The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...
.
Transport
Roads

The Messina motorway
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
is part of the
Autostrada A20 Messina-Palermo which crosses the urban area from the south to the central-northern area. There are 7 junctions: Messina sud Tremestieri, Messina San Filippo, Messina Gazzi, Messina Centro, Messina Boccetta, Messina Giostra-Annunziata, Messina nord Villafranca. The city is also served by the
Autostrada A18 Messina-Catania.
Railways

The new Messina Centrale
station building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger railway station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers. A station building is a component of a station, which can include tracks, ...
was projected following the
modern criteria of the
futurist
Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futures studies or futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities ...
architect
Angiolo Mazzoni
Angiolo Mazzoni (21 May 1894 – 28 September 1979) was a state architect and engineer of the Italian Fascist government of the 1920s and 1930s.
Mazzoni designed hundreds of public buildings, post offices and train stations during the Interwar pe ...
, and is extended through the stations square. It is at almost contiguous with
Messina Marittima station, located by the
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
and constituting a Ferry transport in the Strait of Messina to
Villa San Giovanni station across the
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...
. In 2021 the harbor of Messina was the busiest passenger port in Europe with over 8,232,000 passenger crossings in one year.
The station is electrified and served by regional trains. For long-distance transport it counts some
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
and
ICN night trains to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, linking it also with
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
,
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
,
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
,
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
,
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
,
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, and other cities. It is also part of the projected
Berlin–Palermo railway axis.
Since 2010, a suburban train service has been carried out along the Messina-Catania-Syracuse railway with routes serving the stations of Fiumara Gazzi, Contesse, Tremestieri, Mili Marina, Galati, Ponte Santo Stefano, Ponte Schiavo, San Paolo and Giampilieri.
Bus and tram

Messina's public bus system is operated by ATM Messina: starting from 8 October 2018, has reorganized the offer of public transport, introducing a bus line (line 1 - Shuttle 100) which with a frequency of approx. 15 minutes, it crosses 38 of the total 50 km of the coast of the City of Messina. Thus, a comb service is created, with interchange stops at which the buses to and from the villages terminate, and with the tram which reaches a frequency of about 20 minutes. About 36 different routes reach every part of the city and also the modern
Messina tramway (at "Repubblica" stop, on station's square), opened in 2003. This line is and links the city's central railway station with the city centre and harbour.
The industrial plan provides for the purchase of about 66 buses in the three-year period 2020–2022 to improve the environmental performance and comfort of the fleet. Furthermore, the resources equal to 1.82 million euros, coming from the PON Metro 2014-2020 will allow:
*Installation of the AVM system on the vehicles;
*Installation of turnstiles on electric buses;
*Implementation of the electronic ticketing system;
*Installation of electronic poles.
Strait of Messina Bridge

The
Strait of Messina Bridge
The Strait of Messina Bridge () is a proposed suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, connecting Torre Faro in Sicily with Villa San Giovanni on the Italian peninsula.
The bridge has been controversial due to the impact of earthquake ...
is a proposed
suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
across the
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...
, connecting
Torre Faro in Sicily with
Villa San Giovanni
Villa San Giovanni () is a port city and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria of Calabria, Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747 with a decrease of 2.5% until 2016 and in 2020 an increase of 3.7%. It is an important term ...
on the Italian peninsula.
While a bridge across the Strait of Messina had been proposed since ancient times, the first detailed plan was made in the 1990s for a suspension bridge. The project was cancelled in 2006 under prime minister
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician who served as President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004 and twice as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2006 to 2008. Prodi is considered the fo ...
.
On 6 March 2009, as part of a massive new public works programme, prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
's government announced that construction of the Messina Bridge would indeed go ahead, pledging €1.3 billion as a contribution to the total cost, estimated at €6.1 billion. The project was cancelled again on 26 February 2013, by prime minister
Mario Monti
Mario Monti (; born 19 March 1943) is an Italian politician, economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a Technocratic government (Italy), technocratic government in the wake of the European sov ...
's government, due to budget constraints.
A decade later, the project was revived again with a decree by
Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Italy since 2022. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies since 2006, s ...
's government, on 16 March 2023,
which received presidential approval on 31 March 2023.
If fully approved and built, it will be the
longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge would be part of the
Berlin–Palermo railway axis (Line 1) of the
Trans-European Transport Networks
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a planned network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in the European Union. The TEN-T network is part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks (TENs), including a telecommun ...
(TEN-T). Construction is set to begin in April 2025, with completion expected in 2032.
Religion

According to Catholic tradition,
Saint Paul
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...
, during his wanderings across the Mediterranean to Rome to spread the Good News, landed in the year 41 AD in Messina, a city that was already very prosperous from an economic point of view thanks to its port.
Here, by preaching the Christian doctrine, he immediately inflamed the hearts of many people from Messina and, among them, the Senators of the city of the time, who, having learned from the Apostle of the Gentiles of the existence of the Mother of the Lord in Jerusalem, immediately decided to go there to ask for her blessing on the City.
The Madonna wrote in her own hand and delivered to the ambassadors from Messina a Letter, in which she blessed the City and its inhabitants and established herself as its perpetual Protector. On 8 September 42 AD the ship brought the ambassadors to the city of the Strait with the Letter of Mary, which the same Celeste sender had rolled up and tied with some of her hair. This letter is said to be preserved in the Vatican Museums in Rome. According to a legend, Mary chose to be the patron saint of the people of Messina and not the other way around. This tradition contributed greatly to rooting the Marian cult in the city.
Since then, Messina became a Marian city par excellence for Catholics, boasting as a credential that it had been chosen "directly by its Patron Saint". This choice would be attested by a statement by
Nummius Aemilianus Dexter Nummius Aemilianus DexterLössl, Josef (2016). �Dexter, Nummius Aemilianus��. ''Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle''. Brill Online. ( 380–395), often erroneously called Flavius Lucius Dexter,Garrido Valls, David (2016), �Omnimoda Historia��. ' ...
, from the 2nd century. The Cathedral houses the relic of the Madonna's hair, which is carried in procession on an artistic silver vessel on
Corpus Domini day. It is said that following a plague, the population of
Palmi was significantly reduced and the Senate of Messina decided to carry part of the Lock of Hair in procession to Palmi, when they arrived at the gates of the Calabrian town the plague ended immediately. In gratitude, on the Sunday after 15 August, the procession of the Vara (Mary's Assumption into Heaven) is repeated in Palmi.
Catholics celebrate the feast of the Madonna della Lettera on June 3, with a popular procession of the engraved silver fercolo with the silver statuette of the Madonna, modeled by Lio Gangeri in 1902 and the relic of the Hair of Mary contained in a precious monstrance (the Letter was lost in one of the many fires that devastated the Cathedral during its troubled history).
The city of Messina is home to many religious minorities: Pentecostals are the most numerous, there are also Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Waldensians and a strong Islamic concentration due to strong immigration.
Sport
Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in Messina, that competes in the
Serie C
The Serie C (), officially known as Serie C NOW for sponsorship purposes, is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing ...
, the third tier of the
Italian football league system
The Italian football league system, also known as the Italian football pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for association football in Italy. It consists of nine national and regional tournaments, the first three b ...
.he origins of the team go back to 1900, when Messina F.C. was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its existence in the lower
Italian football
Football ( ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only Brazil (with five), runners-up in two finals both against Brazil, (1970, 1994) and ...
leagues. They last competed in
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
in 2007–08, which followed three consecutive seasons in
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
. In July 2008, Messina were excluded from professional football due to financial issues, being later registered into amateur
Serie D
The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...
. The farthest Messina has reached in the
Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
is the last 16. This was achieved in the 2000s decade. In the past, they have also reached the semi-finals in the
Coppa Italia Serie C
Coppa Italia Serie C (), formerly named Coppa Italia Lega Pro, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie C in Italian football first held in 1972.
Format
There are a total of six rounds in the competition. It begins i ...
. Messina have appeared in the Italy's top league, Serie A, for a total of five seasons. The club's first spell in the league was in the 1960s; the second began in the 2000s decade. The highest ever position they have finished is 7th, which happened during the
2004–05 season.
Pallacanestro Messina Pallacanestro Messina was an Italian professional basketball team based in Messina, Sicily.
History
Established in 1976, the club was admitted to the first division Serie A for the 2003-04 season after Virtus Bologna was excluded for financial i ...
was an Italian professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team based in Messina. Established in 1976, the club was admitted to the first division
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
for the
2003-04 season after
Virtus Bologna
Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna.
The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...
was excluded for financial irregularities.
Messina struggled on every front during that season, finishing dead last in the league whilst suffering from financial problems and a lack of interest from the public.
With debts too big to allow the club to even take part in other divisions and scaring off clubs that wanted to buy the side's sporting rights, Messina went bankrupt a few months after the season.
International Rally of Messina
International Rally of Messina (in Italian Rally internazionale di Messina) was a former rally competition that was held in Messina, Italy.
History
The event was held for 26 editions, from 1979 to 2004 and was part of the European Rally Champ ...
was a former
rally
Rally or rallye may refer to:
Gatherings
* Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade
* Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event
Sport ...
competition that was held in Messina. The event was held for 26 editions, from 1979 to 2004 and was part of the
European Rally Championship
The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
The champion ...
schedule and the
Italian national rally championship. Many of Italian top drivers for several years fought for the Italian title, because the rally was one of the last race of the season, and often decisive. Among the winners are remembered
Andrea Aghini
Andrea Aghini Lombardi (born 29 December 1963 in Livorno, Tuscany) is an Italian rally driver. He won the 1992 Rallye Sanremo and took four other podium finishes in the World Rally Championship from 1992 to 1995. In 1992, he also won the Race of ...
,
Franco Cunico
Gianfranco Cunico (born 11 October 1957 in Vicenza) is an Italian rally driver who won the 1993 Rallye Sanremo.
Career
Cunico scored his first points in the World Rally Championship on the 1989 Tour de Corse when he finished seventh, driving for ...
and
Piero Liatti
Piero Liatti (born 7 May 1962) is an Italian rally driver. His specialty was driving on tarmac rallies like Monte Carlo, Catalunya, Corsica and the San Remo Rally.
As of 2024, Liatti is the last Italian driver to win a rally in the World Rally ...
.
Notable people

List of notable people from Messina or connected to Messina, listed by career and then in alphabetical order by last name.
Actors
*
Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...
, actor (1922–1986)
*
Tano Cimarosa
Tano Cimarosa, (real name Gaetano Cisco; 1 January 1922 – 24 May 2008) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. He participated in more than fifty movies.
He played the "Blacksmith" in the Oscar-winning film ''Cinema Paradiso'' fr ...
, actor (1922–2008)
*
Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Maria Grazia Cucinotta (; born 27 July 1968) is an Italian actress who has featured in films and television series since 1990. Internationally she is best known for her roles in '' Il Postino'' and as the Bond girl, credited as "Cigar Girl", in ...
, actress (born 1968)
*
Nino Frassica
Antonino "Nino" Frassica (born 11 December 1950) is an Italian actor, comedian and television personality.
Biography and career
Born in Messina, Sicily, Frassica is mostly known for his deadpan humour, characterized by absurd jokes he descri ...
, actor (born 1950)
*
Massimo Mollica
Massimo Mollica (19 March 1929 – 1 May 2013) was an Italian actor and stage director.
Born in Pace del Mela, Messina, the son of an elementary school teacher, Mollica started acting at the university.Giancarlo Colombo. ''Who's Who in Ital ...
, actor (1929–2013)
*
Adua Del Vesco, actress (born 1992)
*
Ninni Bruschetta
Ninni Bruschetta (born Antonino Bruschetta; 6 January 1962) is an Italian actor, film and stage director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born on 6 January 1962, in Messina, Bruschetta co-founded with Maurizio Puglisi "Nutrimenti terrestri", ...
, actor (born 1962)
* Marina La Rosa, actress and
Grande Fratello (season 1)
''Grande Fratello 1'' is the first season of the Italian version of the reality show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather t ...
contestant (born 1977)
*
Gino Buzzanca
Gino Buzzanca (8 March 1912 – 5 May 1985) was an Italian film actor.
Life and career
Born in Messina, Buzzanca began his career on stage, specializing as an actor of the Sicilian language theater, and starring in works by Luigi Pirande ...
, actor (1912–1985)
Artists and designers
*
Girolamo Alibrandi, painter (1470–1524)
*
Anna Maria Arduino
Anna Maria Arduino (1672–1700) was an Italian regent, socialite, painter and writer. She was the regent of the Principality of Piombino during the minority of her son Prince Niccolò II Ludovisi in 1699–1700.
Life
She was born in Messina, I ...
(1672 – 1700), 17th century painter, writer and socialite, served as the Princess of
Piombino
Piombino is an Italian town and ''comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.
Ov ...
, from Messina.
*
Antonio Barbalonga
Antonio Barbalonga or Barbalunga (1600 – 2 November 1649), also called Antonio Alberti, was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.
He was a member of the noble family of the Alberti, born at Messina, and was there instructed in paintin ...
, painter (17th century)
*
Francesco Comande, painter (16th century)
*
Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina (; 1425–1430February 1479), properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina, was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Italian Early Ren ...
, major painter of the Renaissance (1430–1479)
*
Giuseppe Migneco, painter (1908–1997)
*
Giovanni Quagliata
Giovanni Quagliata (1603–1673) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He is more properly known in Italy as Giovan Battista Quagliata (and Giambattista Quagliata), one of the leading artists of the Messinesi painters of the 17th centur ...
, painter (1603–1673)
*
Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra (7 March 1678 – 31 January 1736) was an Italian architect, scenographer, engraver and goldsmith. He was active in a late-Baroque architecture style, working primarily in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
Biography
Juvarra was born ...
, Baroque architect (1678–1736)
*
Mariano Riccio, painter (1510–1593)
*
Alonzo Rodriguez
Alonzo Rodriguez (1578 – 22 April 1648), sometimes rendered Alfonso Rodriquez was a painter largely active in Messina. He is thought to have been a follower of Caravaggio.
Rodriguez' career was first recorded by Francesco Susinno in his '' ...
, painter (1578–1648)
*
Valentina Romeo
Valentina Romeo (also known by the diminutive, Val Romeo; Messina, 30 October 1977) is an Italian cartoonist, illustrator, and billiards player.
Biography
She attended the in Naples, where she later worked as an illustrator on some projects for ...
(born 1977), cartoonist, illustrator, billiards player
*
Giovanni Tuccari, painter (1667–1743)
*
Pino da Messina, painter (born 15th century)
Politicians, civil service, military
*
Giuseppe La Farina, leader of the Italian
Risorgimento
The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...
(1815–1863)
*
Gaetano Martino
Gaetano Martino (25 November 1900 – 21 July 1967) was an Italian politician, physician, and university teacher.
Early life and medicine
Gaetano Martino was born in 1900 in Messina, Sicily, son of its Mayor Antonino Martino. He graduated in m ...
, politician, physician and professor. (1900–1967)
*
Giuseppe Natoli, lawyer and politician (1815–1867)
*
Luigi Rizzo, naval officer and First World War hero (1887–1951)
* Carlo Stagno D'Alcontres, politician, Prince of Alcontres and
mayor of Messina (1913–1981)
Musicians, composers
*
Mario Aspa
Mario Aspa (17 October 1797 – 14 December 1868) was an Italian composer. He composed over 40 operas, the most successful of which were ''Paolo e Virginia'' (premiered in Rome, 1843) and ''II Muratore di Napoli'' (premiered in Naples, 1850). He ...
, composer (1797–1868)
*
Filippo Bonaffino
Filippo Bonaffino (fl. 1623) was an Italian composer.
Life and career
Filippo Bonaffino is thought to have been born in Messina. In 1623, he published a book of 18 Madrigali concertati for two to four voices with continuo, titled ''Madrigali con ...
(fl. 1623), Italian madrigal composer
*
Alberto Urso, singer (born 1997)
*
Peppino D'Agostino
Giuseppe "Peppino" D'Agostino is an Italian-American guitarist. His first two albums, ''Bluerba'' and ''Silk and Steel'' were recorded in Italy. D'Agostino moved to America in 1985. Starting out by performing in the streets and on Fisherman's Wha ...
, guitarist (born 1956)
Religion
*
Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
Eustochia Smeralda Calafato (March 25, 1434 in Messina – January 20, 1485 also in Messina) is a Franciscan Italian saint belonging to the Order of the Poor Clares. She is co-patroness of Messina, which is also the centre of her cultus.
Biogr ...
, saint (1434–1485)
*
Annibale Maria Di Francia
Annibale Maria di Francia, RCJ (or Hannibal Mary di Francia; 5 July 1851 – 1 June 1927) was an Italian Rogationist Father known for founding a series of orphanages, the Rogationists and the Daughters of Divine Zeal. He has been canonised ...
, saint (1851–1927)
*
Pope Leo II
Pope Leo II ( – 28 June 683) was the Bishop of Rome from 17 August 682 to his death on 28 June 683. One of the popes of the Byzantine Papacy, he is described by a contemporary biographer as both just and learned. He is commemorated as a sain ...
, bishop of Rome (611–683)
Sport
*
Tony Cairoli
Antonio "Tony" Cairoli (born 23 September 1985) is an Italian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2002 to 2021. Cairoli is notable for winning nine Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM M ...
, motocross world champion (born 1985)
*
Vincenzo Nibali
Vincenzo Nibali (; born 14 November 1984) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2005 to 2022. He is one of seven cyclists who have won all three of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours i ...
,
cyclist
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
(born 1984)
*
Antonio Stelitano, Italian footballer (born 1987)
*
Antonino Ragusa
Antonino Ragusa (born 27 March 1990) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Reggina.
Club career
Treviso
Born in Messina, Sicily, Ragusa started his professional career at Veneto club Treviso, where he played for ''Alliev ...
, Italian footballer (born 1990)
Researchers, academics
*
Aristocles of Messene
Aristocles of Messene (; ), in Sicily,Suda, ''Aristokles'' was a Peripatetic philosopher, who probably lived in the 1st century AD.
Life
Little is known about the life of Aristocles. He came from Messene in Sicily (Messana, now Messina), not fro ...
, peripatetic philosopher (1st century AD)
*
Dicaearchus
Dicaearchus of Messana (; ''Dikaiarkhos''; ), also written Dikaiarchos (), was a Greek philosopher, geographer and author. Dicaearchus was a student of Aristotle in the Lyceum. Very little of his work remains extant. He wrote on geography and t ...
, Greek philosopher and mathematician (350 BC—323 BC)
*
Caio Domenico Gallo, historian (1697–1780)
*
Francesco Maurolico
Francesco Maurolico (Latin: ''Franciscus Maurolycus''; Italian language, Italian: ''Francesco Maurolico''; ; Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Francescu Maurolicu''; 16 September 1494 – 22 July 1575) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer fr ...
, astronomer, mathematician and humanist (1494–1575)
*
Agostino Scilla, painter, paleontologist, geologist and pioneer in the study of fossils (1629–1700)
*
Giuseppe Seguenza
Giuseppe Seguenza (June 8, 1833 in Messina – February 3, 1889 in Messina) was an Italian naturalist and geologist.
Early life
Giuseppe Seguenza was born on June 8, 1833, in Italy. Because his father expected him to follow in his footsteps an ...
, naturalist and geologist (1833–1889)
*
Giuseppe Sergi
Giuseppe Sergi (March 20, 1841 – October 17, 1936) was an Italian anthropologist of the early twentieth century, best known for his opposition to Nordicism in his books on the racial identity of Mediterranean peoples. He rejected existing ra ...
, anthropologist and psychologist (1841–1936)
*
Michele Parrinello, physicist (born 1945)
* Giulio Tarro, doctor and scientist (born 1938)
*
Gaetano Martino
Gaetano Martino (25 November 1900 – 21 July 1967) was an Italian politician, physician, and university teacher.
Early life and medicine
Gaetano Martino was born in 1900 in Messina, Sicily, son of its Mayor Antonino Martino. He graduated in m ...
, scientist (1900–1967)
Others
*
Stefano D'Arrigo, writer (1919–1992)
*
Guido delle Colonne, judge and writer (13th century)
*
Santi Visalli, American photographer and photojournalist (born 1932)
* Tommaso Cannizzaro, writer (1838–1921)
Literary references
Numerous writers set their works in Messina, including:
*
Plutarch
Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...
– ''The Life of Pompey'' (40 BC?)
*
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...
– ''Decameron'' IV day V novel, ''Lisabetta da Messina'' – IV day IV Novel, ''Gerbino ed Elissa'' (1351)
*
Matteo Bandello
Matteo Bandello ( 1480–1562) was an Italian writer, soldier, Dominican friar and bishop, best known for his novellas. His collection of 214 novellas made him the most popular short-story writer of his day.
Biography
Matteo Bandello was b ...
– ''Novelliere'' First Part, novel XXII (1554)
*
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
– ''
Much Ado about Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...
'' (1598) and ''
Antony and Cleopatra
''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...
'' (1607)
*
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
– ''L'Étourdi ou Les Contre-temps'' (1654)
*
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright.
He was born i ...
– ''Die Braut von Messina'' (''The Bride of Messina'', 1803)
*
Silvio Pellico
Silvio Pellico (; 24 June 1789 – 31 January 1854) was an Italian writer, poet, dramatist and patriot active in the Italian unification.
Biography
Silvio Pellico was born in Saluzzo, Piedmont. He spent the earlier portion of his life at Pi ...
– ''Eufemio da Messina'' (1818)
*
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...
– ''Idyllen aus Messina'' (''Idylls from Messina'', 1882)
*
Giovanni Pascoli
Giovanni Placido Agostino Pascoli (; 31 December 1855 – 6 April 1912) was an Italian poet, classical scholar and an emblematic figure of Italian literature in the late nineteenth century. Alongside Gabriele D'Annunzio, he was one of the grea ...
– poem ''L'Aquilone'' (1904)
*
Elio Vittorini
Elio Vittorini (; 23 July 1908 – 12 February 1966) was an Italian writer and novelist. He was a contemporary of Cesare Pavese and an influential voice in the modernist school of novel writing. His best-known work, in English speaking countries ...
– ''Le donne di Messina'' (''Women of Messina'', 1949) and ''Conversazione in Sicilia'' (''Conversations in Sicily'', 1941)
*
Stefano D'Arrigo – ''Horcynus Orca'' (1975)
*
Julien Green
Julien Green (originally "Julian Hartridge Green", 6 September 1900 – 13 August 1998) often Julian Green, was an American writer who lived most of his life in France and wrote mostly in French and only occasionally in English. Over a long and ...
– ''Demain n'existe pas'' (1985)
Twin Towns
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Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, England, United Kingdom
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Townsville
The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
, Australia
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Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...
, France
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Corfu
Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...
, Greece
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Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
, India
See also
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International Rally of Messina
International Rally of Messina (in Italian Rally internazionale di Messina) was a former rally competition that was held in Messina, Italy.
History
The event was held for 26 editions, from 1979 to 2004 and was part of the European Rally Champ ...
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Messina Centrale railway station
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Messina Grand Prix
The Messina Grand Prix (Italian: ''Gran Premio di Messina'') a Formula Junior motor race held at Ganzirri Lake circuit (6,200 metres) in Messina, Italy, organized by the Automobile Club d'Italia. The race formed part of the Italian
Italian(s) ...
held between 1959 and 1961
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Strait of Messina Bridge
The Strait of Messina Bridge () is a proposed suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, connecting Torre Faro in Sicily with Villa San Giovanni on the Italian peninsula.
The bridge has been controversial due to the impact of earthquake ...
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Torre Faro 224 metres tall lattice tower
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Zanclean
The Zanclean is the lowest stage or earliest age on the geologic time scale of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago) and 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma. It is preceded by the Messinian Age of the Miocene Epoch, and f ...
Age of the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58[geology
Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...](_blank)
, named for Zancle, ancient Messina
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Messinian
The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the fir ...
Age of the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
Epoch in geology, named for Messina
Notes
References
Bibliography
in English
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1867 ed.*
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in Italian
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External links
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{{Authority control
Coastal towns in Sicily
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy
Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Messina
Cumaean colonies
Euboean colonies of Magna Graecia
Populated places established in the 8th century BC
8th-century BC establishments in Italy
Greek city-states
Populated places destroyed by earthquakes