Introducing Messina
Messina is a chaotic, traffic-clogged city; most people come here to travel the high seas to mainland Italy or because they have four flat tyres and no car jack. The reality is that Messina is all about the straits, a veritable highway of seafaring traffic. The Greeks mythologised the clashing currents as the twin monsters of Charybdis (the whirlpool) and Scylla (the six-headed monster), and strong currents still make swimming a danger.
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Beneath the choppy surface of the sea a geological fault line has brought both prosperity and adversity to the city. In 1908 it was responsible for one of the worst natural disasters to hit the island – an earthquake sank the shore by half a metre and killed 84,000 people – but the narrow waterway is also the secret of Messina’s economic success. The building of the world’s largest suspension bridge to span the straits between Sicily and the mainland, which has been on the drawing board for years, seems less certain these days.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: cefalu to catania - public transport
by jewels4475 11 September 2011
there are plenty of trains going from Cefalu to Messina and also from Messina to Catania. It's about 2 hours from Cefalu to Messina and…
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RE: cefalu to catania - public transport
by neckervd 10 September 2011
I don't think so. But you may take the train and change at Messina or Termini Imerese (about 5 hrs trip) http://www.trenitalia.com/ …
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RE: itinerary suggestions
by neckervd 09 September 2011
Many Palermo - Messina trains stop at Patti. Tindari can be reached by bus from Patti: http://www.pattishop.it/autobus.asp No left luggage…
