The Metropolitan Area of Strait of Messina (''Area Metropolitana dello Stretto di Messina'', in Italian), is the urban agglomeration around 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 is one of the most populated and important areas of

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 ...

. It includes part of the

Province of Messina The province of Messina (; ) was a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Messina. It was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Messina. Geography Territory It had an area of , ...

, 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. ...

, and part of the

Province of Reggio Calabria The province of Reggio Calabria () was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The capital was the city of Reggio. It w ...

, in

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 ...

Geography

Population

Major cities

Messina, is a city situated in the extreme north-eastern tip of

, also called "''gate of Sicily''", in ancient times was called "''Zancle''" and "''Messana''". Ancient city, has reached the pinnacle of his greatness, in the Late Middle Ages and in the mid-seventeenth century, when contending 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 ...

, the Sicilian capital role. In 1678, after a historic anti-Spanish revolt, which resulted in the annihilation of its ruling class, a first devastating earthquake has partially destroyed the city in 1783, while in 1908 a devastating earthquake, followed by a tsunami, has razed to the ground the city, and have been generated about 80,000 victims. Rebuilt since 1912, the modern city presents a neat and regular mesh with wide straight streets. In recent years, there are ongoing projects aimed at regeneration of the city through works such as the waterfront, a new headquarters for the railway station, the bridge over the Strait. Messina is a city with an economy based on services, trade, tourism and a significant industrial activity in the shipbuilding craft. Its port is the first in Italy for the number of transit passengers and sixth for cruise traffic. Reggio Calabria is the first municipality in the

region for residents. Major functional pole in its region, has strong historical, cultural and economic ties with the city of Messina. First city in the region for its age, despite its ancient foundation - Ρηγιον was an important and flourishing colony 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 ...

- shows a modern urban system, because of the catastrophic earthquake that December 28, 1908, who destroyed most of the settlement. Its urban system, represents a major economic centers and regional service and transport, in the southern shores of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. Reggio Calabria, with

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

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

, is home to one of the most important archaeological museums dedicated to Ancient Greece (which houses the famous Bronzes of Riace, rare example of Greek bronze sculpture, which became one of the symbols of the city), of two young universities and the Regional Council of Calabria. The center, consisting primarily of Liberty buildings, has a linear development along the coast, and with parallel streets with the promenade dotted with rares magnolias and exotic palms. Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, populous city close to

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 ...

, it is characterized by an intense activity in: agriculture, trade and industry. Milazzo is a peninsula, situated 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 ...

, in a strategic place. Located 43 km from

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

, is the benchmark for other little cities: job, trade, services. Originally a

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 ...

city, and from 36 BC recognized as a

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 ...

civitas, Milazzo is now a tourist destination and a great starting point for 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 ...

, the

Nebrodi The Nebrodi (; , ; ) is a mountain range that runs along the north east of Sicily. Together with the Madonie and the Peloritani, they form the Sicilian Apennines. The mountains run from the Peloritani on the eastern part of the island to the ...

Park, Tindari. There are numerous examples, symbols of the ancient history of the city. Plans are in progress aimed to enter the Castle, the fortified town and the ancient village in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

sites and to form the Marine Reserve of Capo Milazzo.

Economy

The economy of the area is very large being one of the largest economies of the metropolitan areas of Southern Italy. The container port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria is the largest in Italy port in Italy for container throughput, the 9th in Europe and 6th in the Mediterranean. The facilities in Milazzo and the Eolian islands as well as the port of Messina make for important transport hubs. The latter is constantly ranked in the top 3 busiest passenger ports in all of Europe and thanks to its depth, it is able to host cruise ships bringing tourism to Messina and the nearby areas.

Agriculture

Agriculture in the area has always prospered with the flatlands near Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto acting as a breadbasket for the area. The Val di Niceto also provides space for vineyards while the Peloritani Mountains and the Aspromonte act as important physical features which help to shape the landscape and provide unique foods.

Industry

Industry has developed in the area especially after the

Italian economic miracle The Italian economic miracle or Italian economic boom ( or ''il boom economico italiano'') is the term used by historians, economists, and the mass media to designate the prolonged period of strong economic growth in Italy after World War II to th ...

following the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Important to note, is the Raffineria di Milazzo which is one of the biggest refineries in Italy.

Tourism

Tourism forms an important part of the economy with the province of Messina alone being the second most visited province in all of southern Italy. This is mostly because of the cruise ships that dock on its port but also because of Tourist attractions in Taormina on the Ionian coast and the Aeolian islands on the Tyrrhenian coast. The Aeolian are a UNESCO World Heritage Site while Taormina has been proposed to be one. Other important Tourist attractions include: Capo Peloro, the Peloritani, Milazzo, Barcellona, Tindari and villages in the mountains such as Novara di Sicilia, Castroreale and Montalbano Elicona on the Sicilian side and Reggio Calabria, Villa San Giovanni, Scilla and the Aspromonte on the Calabrian side.

Infrastructure and transport

Highways

The Metropolitan Area of Strait of Messina is connected to the

Autostrada The ''autostrade'' (; : ''autostrada'', ) are roads forming the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about , as of 30 July 2022. There are also 13 motorway spur routes, which extend for . Most of the Itali ...

A2 (

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

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 ...

), A18 (

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 A20 (

Airport

The Strait of Messina Metropolitan Area is served by air links with the

Reggio Calabria Airport Reggio di Calabria "Tito Minniti" Airport , also known as Aeroporto dello Stretto (''Airport of the Strait'') is an airport located in Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy. It serves mainly the Metropolitan City of Reggio and the Province of Messin ...

(

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

: REG,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

: LICR). Also known as Aeroporto dello Stretto or Tito Minniti Airport, is located at south of Reggio Calabria. The first track of the airport was built in 1939 with military purposes. On 11 July 1943 a USA air raid razed the structure, and later was rebuilt for civil aviation. The first flight took place on April 10, 1947, with a twin-engine propeller-driven "Douglas DC-3" on the Turin - Bologna - Florence - Naples - Reggio Calabria - Palermo. The design of the first paved runway began in October 1960. By decision of the Ministry of Defense-Air Force, on 10 December 1975 the airport was named Tito Minniti, first pilot crashed in East Africa December 26, 1935 during the Ethiopian war. It is a structure in increasing improvement; the recent phase of modernization has allowed the increase in the number of available flights 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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

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 ...

and other cities in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Plans for an airport in the province of Messina in the flatlands near Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto or in the Peloritani have been suggested before but no airport of such a kind existed at the moment.

Strait of Messina Bridge

Since Roman times, a bridge has been proposed to link the Calabrian and Sicilian regions. These projects have been close to being approved many times, and Italy's

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 ...

government, seems to carry the projects forward. The Highway system would be linked to the A2 in Calabria at

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 at the A20 on the Sicilian side near Giostra. There is also planned rail connection which would involve tunnels in 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 of Messina.

History

Culture

Education

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 ...

(''Università degli Studi di Messina'', in Italian, or UNIME), is an ancient university, and was founded in 1548 by Ignatio of Loyola such as the first ever College of Jesus's Company. Is formed by ten faculties (Arts and Humanities;

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 ...

;

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 ...

;

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 ...

;

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 ...

; Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences;

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, ...

;

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 ...

;

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 ...

;

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 ...

), distributed in various part of the city of Messina. The University of Reggio Calabria, or Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (''Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria'', in Italian, or UNIRC), was founded in 1968, and is one of the youngest universities 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 ...

. UNIRC combines its commitment in research and teaching: three faculties (

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, Engineering,

Agricultural Science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professio ...

), are dedicated to the territory, creating an "Environment Polytechnic" with a strong propensity to the themes of architecture, landscape, urbanism, infrastructure associated at the

green economy A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without environmental degradation, degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological econ ...

. The faculty of Law, study from the economic issues to those related to archeology and artistic heritage. In addition, there are: "Dante Alighieri University" (for foreign student) situated in Reggio Calabria; and two "''Academies of Fine Arts''" (Decoration, Graphics, Painting, Sculpture and Scenography), situated in Messina and Reggio Calabria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strait of Messina Metropolitan Area Metropolitan areas of Italy Messina Reggio Calabria Metropolitan City of Messina Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria