Messina

Messina stands at the extreme north-eastern tip of Sicily, on Capo Peloro, facing the narrow Strait that separates the island from mainland Calabria. A port city by nature and by history, it is defined by its curved, sickle-shaped natural harbour and by its role as the main gateway to Sicily, where sea routes, trade and movement have long shaped daily life.

Founded by the ancient Greeks, the city was first known as Zancle and later as Messana, before passing through Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Norman phases. Its position made it one of the Mediterranean’s strategic maritime centres, and under the Normans it enjoyed a period of particular splendour, later becoming capital of the Kingdom of Sicily together with Palermo.

Modern Messina also carries the memory of rupture and reconstruction. After the devastating earthquake of 1908, and further wartime damage, much of the centre was rebuilt with long streets, anti-seismic buildings and a strict grid plan. This combination of ancient origins, maritime identity, legend and twentieth-century rebuilding gives Messina a character unlike any other Sicilian city.