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Satellite photo of the Strait of Messina with names. NASA image.

The Strait of Messina (Strittu di Missina in Sicilian) is the narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in the country of Italy. At its narrowest point it measures 3.1 km (1.9 miles) in breadth, though near the town of Messina the breadth is more on the order of 5.1 km (3.2 miles). A natural whirlpool forms in the strait, which has been linked to the legend of Scylla and Charybdis.

A ferry connects Messina on Sicily with the mainland at Villa San Giovanni and Reggio in Calabria. There is also a hydrofoil service from Messina to Reggio.

The former electricity pylon on the Sicilian site of Messina Strait ("Torre Faro")

In 1957 a 220-kV overhead powerline was built across the Strait of Messina. Its pylons are among the highest in the world. This powerline has since been replaced by a submarine power cable, but the pylons are still there because they are protected as national monuments. (See Pylons of Messina.)

The Strait is narrow enough that the mainland can be seen quite clearly from Sicily

Every five or ten years, major debates have ensued in Italy about building a bridge that would connect the island of Sicily to the mainland. In recent years advances in technologies have made the construction of the bridge possible. Plans were under way in 2005 under Prime Minister Berlusconi,¹ but were scrapped in 2006 under Prodi.² However, when Berlusconi was reelected in 2008, the project was restarted.³ (see Strait of Messina Bridge).

The two cities of the strait in an old German engraving.

The bridge was planned to connect Reggio Calabria to Messina, the two cities which face each other on either side of the strait, and form a single city. This ambitious urban project was called Area Metropolitana integrata dello Stretto (Integrated Metropolitan Area of the Strait) or simply Città dello Stretto (City of the Strait). Some controversy surrounded both the building of the bridge, from environmental and economic viewpoints, and the formation of the new city itself. The latter was especially opposed by various Sicilian nationalist groups.

References

1. ^ "Sicily bridge constructor named". BBC News (2005-10-12). Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
2. ^ "Italy drops Sicily bridge plans". BBC News (2006-10-12). Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
3. ^ "Italy says to start building bridge to Sicily". Reuters (2008-05-23). Retrieved on 2008-08-16.

Further reading

• Fabio Spadi (2001) "The Bridge on the Strait of Messina: 'Lowering' the Right of Innocent Passage?" International and Comparative Law Quarterly 50: 411 ff.
• Mary Spicuzza (2004) "Sicily: A Bridge Too Far?" PBS Frontline/World Fellows.
• "From Rome to Sicily: Plane or Train?" Expert Travel Advice, The New York Times, Feb. 7, 2008 The New York Times.

Coordinates: 38°14′45″N 15°37′57″E / 38.24583, 15.6325