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{{About|the city in Sicily, Italy|other uses|Messina (disambiguation)|text=}}
{{Expand Italian|date=January 2022|topic=geo}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Messina
| native_name         = {{native name|scn|Missina}}
| official_name       = Comune di Messina
| image_skyline       = Collage Messina.jpg
| imagesize           = 240px
| image_alt           =
| image_caption       =
| image_flag          = Flag of Messina.svg
| image_shield        = Messina-Stemma.svg
| shield_alt          =
| image_map           = Map of comune of Messina (metropolitan city of Messina, region Sicily, Italy).svg
| map_caption         = Position of the commune in the Metropolitan City
| mayor               = [[Federico Basile]]
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt     =
| coordinates         = {{coord|38|11|37|N|15|33|15|E|region:IT-ME_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| region              = [[Sicily]]
| metropolitan_city   = [[Metropolitan City of Messina|Messina]] (ME)
| area_total_km2      = 213.23
| population_footnotes = <ref>Data from [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]]</ref>
| population_total    = 218,786
| population_as_of    = 1 January 2023
| pop_density_footnotes =
| population_demonym  = Messinese
|telephone=
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m         = 3
|postalcode=|istat=083048| saint               = Madonna of the Letter
| day                 = June 3
| postal_code         = 98100
| area_code           = 090
| website             = {{official website|https://comune.messina.it}}
}}
'''Messina''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɛ|ˈ|s|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|mess|EE|nə}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|m|ɪ|ˈ|-}} {{respell|miss|-}};<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190126164255/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Messina "Messina"] (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Messina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182222/https://www.lexico.com/definition/messina |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=Messina |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/messina|title=Messina|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=January 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Messina|access-date=May 4, 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|mesˈsiːna|lang|It-Messina.ogg}}; {{langx|scn|Missina}} {{IPA-scn|mɪsˈsiːna|}}){{efn|{{langx|la|Messana}}; {{langx|grc|Μεσσήνη|Messḗnē}}.}} 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 more than 218,000<ref>{{Cite web |title=Resident population on 1st January |url=http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx?QueryId=18460&lang=en |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=dati.istat.it}}</ref> inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the Metropolitan City. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the [[Strait of Messina]] and it is an important access terminal to [[Calabria]] region, [[Villa San Giovanni]], [[Reggio Calabria]] on the mainland. According to [[Eurostat]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Population on 1 January by age groups and sex - functional urban areas [urb_lpop1] |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en |website=Eurostat |access-date=12 July 2019}}</ref> the [[Larger urban zone|FUA]] of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants.{{Historical populations|1861|104036|1871|112512|1881|126776|1901|147589|1911|128121|1921|177196|1931|179914|1936|191966|1951|220590|1961|254538|1971|250519|1981|260118|1991|231693|2001|252026|2011|243262|2021|221246|type=|footnote=Source: [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]]}}The city's main resources are its seaports (commercial and military shipyards), [[cruise ship|cruise]] tourism, commerce, and agriculture (wine production and cultivating lemons, oranges, [[mandarin oranges]], and olives). The city has been a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela|Archdiocese and Archimandrite]] seat since 1548 and is home to a locally important international fair. The city has the [[University of Messina]], founded in 1548 by [[Ignatius of Loyola]].
==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Messina}}
[[File:Augustale.jpg|thumb|left| 13th-century coins minted during the reign of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]].]]
[[File:Map of Messina 1.jpg|thumb|17th century map of Messina]]
[[File:Gloeden, Wilhelm von (1856-1931) - n. ... - Terremoto di Messina, 1908.jpg|thumb|left|An image of the [[1908 Messina earthquake]] aftermath. Ruins of the Duomo.]]
Founded by [[Greece|Greek]] colonists of [[Magna Graecia]] in the 8th century BC, Messina was originally called '''Zancle''' ({{langx|grc|Ζάγκλη}}), from the Greek {{lang|grc|ζάγκλον}} meaning "[[scythe]]" because of the shape of its natural harbour (though a legend attributes the name to King [[Zanclus]]). A ''[[comune]]'' of its Metropolitan City, located at the southern entrance of the [[Strait of Messina]], is to this day called 'Scaletta Zanclea'. [[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]] wrote that the city of [[Metauros]] was established by people from Zancle.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/747#8.7 Solinus, Polyhistor, 2.10]</ref>
In the early 5th century BC [[Anaxilas of Rhegium]] renamed it '''Messene''' ({{lang|grc|Μεσσήνη}}) in honour of the Greek city [[Messene]] (See also [[List of traditional Greek place names]]). Later, [[Micythus]] was the ruler of [[Rhegium]] and Zancle, and he also founded the city of [[Pyxus]].<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.perseus-grc3:11.59 Diodorus Siculus, Library, § 11.59.1]</ref>
The city was [[Battle of Messene|sacked in 397 BC]] by the [[Carthage|Carthaginians]] and then reconquered by [[Dionysius I of Syracuse]].
[[File:Beaches,Messina.JPG|thumb|a tract of around 30 kilometres of [[beaches]] of Messina]]
[[File:Feluca in the strait of Messina.JPG|thumb|the ''[[Felucca]]'', a typical boat used by the fishermen of Messina to hunt [[swordfish]] ]]
In 288 BC the [[Mamertines]] 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, Sicily|Syracuse]]. [[Hiero II]], tyrant of Syracuse, defeated the Mamertines near [[Mylae]] on the [[Longanus River]] and besieged Messina. [[Carthage]] assisted the Mamertines because of a [[Sicilian Wars|long-standing conflict]] with Syracuse over dominance in Sicily. When Hiero attacked a second time in 264 BC, the Mamertines petitioned the [[Roman Republic]] 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]] it was a free city allied with Rome. In Roman times Messina, then known as '''Messana''', had an important [[History of lighthouses|pharos]] (lighthouse). Messana was the base of [[Sextus Pompeius]], during his war against [[Caesar Augustus|Octavian]].{{fact|date=August 2022}}
After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] the city was successively ruled by [[Goths]] from 476, then by the [[Byzantine Empire]] in 535, by the [[Arabs]] in 842, and in 1061 by the [[Normans|Norman]] brothers [[Robert Guiscard]] and [[Roger I of Sicily|Roger Guiscard]] (later count Roger I of Sicily). In 1189 the English King [[Richard I of England|Richard I (''"The Lionheart"'')]] stopped at Messina en route to the [[Holy Land]] for the [[Third Crusade]] 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]]. Initially a stronghold of Anjou support on Sicily, in 1282 the city joined the revolt of the [[Sicilian Vespers]], resulting in the city being [[Siege of Messina (1282)|subjected to a major siege]] by [[Charles I of Anjou]]. Messina remained a major naval base for the remainder of the ensuing twenty-year [[War of the Sicilian Vespers]], and was besieged a second time in 1302. In 1345 [[Orlando d'Aragona]], the illegitimate son of [[Frederick III of Sicily|Frederick II of Sicily]] was the ''[[strategos]]'' of Messina.{{fact|date=August 2022}}
In 1347 Messina was one of the first points of entry for the [[black death]] into Western Europe. [[Genoa|Genoese]] galleys travelling from the infected city of [[Feodosia|Kaffa]] carried plague into the Messina ports. Kaffa had been infected via Asian trade routes and the [[siege of Kaffa]] from infected [[Mongol]] 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.{{fact|date=August 2022}}
In 1548 [[Ignatius of Loyola|St. Ignatius]] founded there the first [[Jesuit]] college in the world, which later gave birth to the ''Studium Generale'' (the current [[University of Messina]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Campione |first=Giuseppe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=95f_XdycyloC&dq=Collegio+Sant%27Ignazio+Messina&pg=PA127 |title=La composizione visiva del luogo: appunti di geografia immediata |date=2003 |publisher=Rubbettino Editore |isbn=978-88-498-0663-2 |language=it}}</ref> The Christian ships that won the [[Battle of Lepanto (1571)]] left from Messina: the [[Spain|Spanish]] author [[Miguel de Cervantes]], 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.{{fact|date=August 2022}}
In 1674 the city [[Messina revolt|rebelled against the foreign garrison]]. It managed to remain independent for some time, thanks to the help of the French king [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], but in 1678, with the [[Peace of Nijmegen]], 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 [[Real Cittadella|massive fortress]] was built by the occupants and Messina decayed steadily. In 1743, 48,000 died of a second wave of [[plague (disease)|plague]] in the city.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2630035/ "Epidemiology of the Black Death and Successive Waves of Plague"] by Samuel K Cohn JR. ''Medical History''.</ref>
In 1783 an [[1783 Calabrian earthquakes|earthquake]] 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]] riots broke out. In 1848 it rebelled openly against the reigning [[House of Bourbon|Bourbons]], but was heavily suppressed again. Only in 1860, after the [[Battle of Milazzo (1860)|Battle of Milazzo]], the [[Garibaldi]]ne troops occupied the city. One of the main figures of the [[unification of Italy]], [[Giuseppe Mazzini]], was elected [[Italian Chamber of Deputies|deputy]] 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 [[1908 Messina earthquake|an earthquake]] and associated [[tsunami]] 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.{{fact|date=June 2022}} However, thousands of residents displaced by the earthquake lived in shanty towns outside the city until the late 1930s, when further reconstruction finally commenced.
{{anchor|Allied air attacks}}
It incurred further damage from the massive Allied air bombardments of 1943; before and during the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]]. 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.<ref>[http://www.societaitalianastoriamilitare.org/COLLANA%20SISM/2014%20DONATO%20La%20Piazza%20di%20Messina%201939-1943.pdf La Piazza Marittima di Messina (1939-1943)]</ref> These raids destroyed one-third of the city, and caused 854 deaths among the population.<ref>[https://www.tempostretto.it/news/proposta-proposta-istituzione-giornata-memoria-854-messinesi-morti-sotto-bombardamenti-43.html Proposta l’istituzione di una "giornata della memoria" degli 854 messinesi morti sotto i bombardamenti del ‘43]</ref> The city was awarded a [[Gold Medal of Military Valor]] and one for Civil Valor by the Italian government in memory of the event and the subsequent effort of reconstruction.<ref>[https://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/18388 Presidenza della Repubblica]</ref>
In June 1955 Messina was the location of the [[Messina Conference]] of [[Western Europe]]an [[foreign minister]]s which led to the creation of the [[European Economic Community]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eu-history.leidenuniv.nl/index.php3?m=10&c=52|title=''The Messina Declaration 1955'' final document of ''The Conference of Messina'' 1 to 3 June 1955 – birth of the European Union|publisher=Eu-history.leidenuniv.nl|access-date=5 April 2011|archive-date=3 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303023539/http://www.eu-history.leidenuniv.nl/index.php3?m=10&c=52|url-status=dead}}</ref> The conference was held mainly in Messina's [[Palazzo Zanca|City Hall building]] ([[:it:Palazzo Zanca|it]]), and partly in nearby [[Taormina]].
[[File:Greek minority of Sicily flag.svg|thumb|Greek minority of Messina flag]]
The city is home to a small [[Greek language|Greek-speaking]] minority, which arrived from the [[Peloponnese]] between 1533 and 1534 when fleeing the expansion of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. They were officially recognised in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.provincia.messina.it/repository/albo-pretorio/allegati/2012/Docs3047/44-C-2012.pdf|title=Delimiting the territory of the Greek linguistic minority of Messina|access-date=2016-05-12|archive-date=2013-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903123845/http://www.provincia.messina.it/repository/albo-pretorio/allegati/2012/Docs3047/44-C-2012.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Messina Via Garilbaldi cropped 13-3-21.jpg|thumb|Via Garibaldi, one of the main streets of Messina. After the 1908 earthquake it was widened and lengthened to the south to conform to the new urban plan]]
==Geography==
===Climate===
Messina has a [[Mediterranean climate#Hot-summer Mediterranean climate|subtropical Mediterranean climate]] with long, hot summers with low [[diurnal temperature variation]] and consistently dry weather. In winter, Messina is rather wet and mild. Diurnals remain low and remain averaging above {{convert|10|C|F}} lows even during winter. It is rather rainier than [[Reggio Calabria#Climate|Reggio Calabria]] on the other side of the [[Messina Strait]], a remarkable climatic difference for such a small distance.
{{Weather box
|location = Messina, elevation: {{convert|59|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1909–present
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|Jan record high C = 24.6
|Feb record high C = 25.8
|Mar record high C = 32.0
|Apr record high C = 29.6
|May record high C = 33.6
|Jun record high C = 43.4
|Jul record high C = 43.6
|Aug record high C = 41.8
|Sep record high C = 40.5
|Oct record high C = 36.4
|Nov record high C = 29.2
|Dec record high C = 26.6
|year record high C = 43.6
|Jan high C = 14.8
|Feb high C = 15.0
|Mar high C = 16.9
|Apr high C = 19.4
|May high C = 23.4
|Jun high C = 27.8
|Jul high C = 30.9
|Aug high C = 31.4
|Sep high C = 27.8
|Oct high C = 24.0
|Nov high C = 19.8
|Dec high C = 16.2
|year high C = 22.3
|Jan mean C = 12.4
|Feb mean C = 12.3
|Mar mean C = 14.0
|Apr mean C = 16.2
|May mean C = 20.0
|Jun mean C = 24.2
|Jul mean C = 27.2
|Aug mean C = 27.8
|Sep mean C = 24.4
|Oct mean C = 20.9
|Nov mean C = 17.1
|Dec mean C = 13.7
|year mean C = 19.2
|Jan low C = 10.1
|Feb low C = 9.7
|Mar low C = 11.3
|Apr low C = 13.3
|May low C = 16.9
|Jun low C = 21.1
|Jul low C = 24.0
|Aug low C = 24.7
|Sep low C = 21.4
|Oct low C = 18.3
|Nov low C = 14.6
|Dec low C = 11.4
|year low C = 16.4
|Jan record low C = 0.2
|Feb record low C = -0.1
|Mar record low C = -0.2
|Apr record low C = 4.3
|May record low C = 7.5
|Jun record low C = 12.4
|Jul record low C = 15.3
|Aug record low C = 14.4
|Sep record low C = 12.5
|Oct record low C = 7.5
|Nov record low C = 5.1
|Dec record low C = 0.8
|year record low C = -0.2
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 118.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 92.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 94.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 65.5
|May precipitation mm = 37.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 32.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 19.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 29.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 91.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 114.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 126.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 127.3
|year precipitation mm = 949.3
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 10.9
|Feb precipitation days = 9.9
|Mar precipitation days = 8.9
|Apr precipitation days = 6.9
|May precipitation days = 4.3
|Jun precipitation days = 2.8
|Jul precipitation days = 2.0
|Aug precipitation days = 2.3
|Sep precipitation days = 7.4
|Oct precipitation days = 7.9
|Nov precipitation days = 10.7
|Dec precipitation days = 11.7
|year precipitation days = 85.8
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 74.1
|Feb humidity = 71.9
|Mar humidity = 71.3
|Apr humidity = 70.9
|May humidity = 69.1
|Jun humidity = 68.3
|Jul humidity = 68.1
|Aug humidity = 68.8
|Sep humidity = 71.4
|Oct humidity = 73.9
|Nov humidity = 74.7
|Dec humidity = 74.0
|year humidity = 71.4
| Jan dew point C =7.6
| Feb dew point C =6.7
| Mar dew point C =8.1
| Apr dew point C =10.1
| May dew point C =13.2
| Jun dew point C =15.8
| Jul dew point C =19.5
| Aug dew point C =20.7
| Sep dew point C =18.5
| Oct dew point C =15.8
| Nov dew point C =12.0
| Dec dew point C =8.9
|Jan sun = 142.6
|Feb sun = 153.2
|Mar sun = 207.7
|Apr sun = 222.0
|May sun = 277.5
|Jun sun = 300.0
|Jul sun = 334.2
|Aug sun = 314.0
|Sep sun = 231.9
|Oct sun = 199.0
|Nov sun = 150.9
|Dec sun = 126.5
|source 1 = NOAA,<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Messina_16420.csv
|title = WMO Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Messina-16420
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = August 31, 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230831043535/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Messina_16420.csv
|archive-date = 2023-08-31}}</ref> (Dew point for 1981-2010)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Italy/WMO_Normals_CliNo81-10.xls |title=WMO Climate Normals for 1981-2010: Messina(WMO number: 16420) |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=[[NOAA|National Oceanic and Atmosoheric Administration]] |access-date = February 29, 2024|type=Excel |format=XLS |quote=Parameter code: 39 - Dew Point Temperature}}</ref>
|source 2 = Temperature estreme in Toscana<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/messina-osservatorio-meteorologico/
|language = it
|title = Messina Osservatorio Meteorologico
|publisher = Temperature estreme in Toscana
|access-date = August 31, 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230831043603/http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/messina-osservatorio-meteorologico/
|archive-date = 2023-08-31}}</ref>}}
==Government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Messina}}
{{empty section|date=January 2022}}
==Main sights==
[[File:Messina Strait.jpg|thumb|center|1000px|Panorama of the [[Messina Strait]] seen from Messina towards the Italian mainland. [[Reggio Calabria]] is visible on the right.]]
[[File:Messina Tirone 09--10-2023 copy.jpg|thumb|Abandoned houses dating from the 18th century in the ancient quarter of Tirone]]
===Religious architecture===
{{refimprove section|date=April 2013}}
[[File:Foto Duomo Messina september 09.jpg|thumb|Cathedral of Messina.]]
[[File:Messina Annunziata dei Catalani.jpg|thumb|[[Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani]].]]
[[File:Messina church of the Alemanni Messina cropped 17-5-21.jpg|thumb|13th century Church of Santa Maria degli Alemanni]]
[[File:Messina 3 Matagrifone Castle 27-2-2021.jpg|thumb|The extant octagonal tower of the 11th century Matagrifone Castle and the Cristo Re sanctuary]]
* The [[Messina Cathedral|cathedral]] (12th century), containing the remains of the king [[Conrad IV of Germany|Conrad]], ruler of [[Germany]] and Sicily in the 13th century. The building had to be almost entirely rebuilt in 1919–20, following the devastating [[1908 Messina earthquake|1908 earthquake]], and again in 1943, after a fire triggered by Allied bombings. The original [[Norman architecture|Norman]] structure can be recognised in the apsidal area. The façade has three late [[Gothic architecture|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 (architecture)|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]] 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]] holds the [[Messina astronomical clock]], one of the largest astronomical clocks in the world, built-in 1933 by the Ungerer Company of [[Strasbourg]]. 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 (Messina)|Chiesa del Carmine]].
* The Sanctuary of Montevergine, where the [[incorruptibility|incorrupt]] body of [[Saint]] [[Eustochia Smeralda Calafato]] is preserved.
* The [[Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani]] (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]]. Noteworthy is the external decoration of the [[transept]] 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]]. It is a rare example of pure Gothic architecture in Sicily, as is witnessed by the arched windows and shapely [[buttress]]es.
[[File:Giganti di Messina (Mata e Grifone) - Messina (Sicily) - Italy - 15 Aug. 2009 - (3).jpg|thumb|The [[giant]]s Mata and Grifone, whose stories are told about the city, are brought around Messina during the second week of August]]
[[File:Madonna della Lettera - Messina - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The Madonna della Lettera that dominates the port of Messina is the Patron Saint of the city, celebrated on 3 June]]
===Civil and military architecture===
[[File:Fontanaduomo.JPG|thumb|Fountain of Orion in Piazza Duomo]]
[[File:Porta Grazia (Domenico Biundo and Antonio Amato).jpg|thumb|Porta Grazia]]
[[File:Don Juan of Austria Messina 27-2-21.jpg|thumb|Statue of Don John of Austria, hero of Lepanto]]
[[File: Palazzo della Provincia Messina 7-12-20.jpg|thumb|Palazzo della Provincia, Corso Cavour]]
* The Botanical Garden [[Pietro Castelli]] of the [[University of Messina]].
* 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]].
* The [[Forte Gonzaga]], a 16th-century fort overlooking Messina.
* The Porta Grazia, 17th-century gate of the "[[Real Cittadella]] di Messina", by Domenico Biundo and Antonio Amato, a fortress still existing in the harbour.
* The [[Pylons of Messina|Pylon]], built in 1957 together with a twin located across the Strait of Messina, to carry a 220 kV [[overhead power line]] bringing electric power to the island. At the time of their construction, the two electric [[transmission tower|pylons]] 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 (Messina)|Palace of Culture]], built in 2009.
===Monuments===
*The Fountain of Orion, a monumental civic sculpture located next to the cathedral, built in 1547 by [[Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli]], student of [[Michelangelo]], with a Neoplatonic-alchemical program. It was considered by art historian [[Bernard Berenson]] "the most beautiful fountain of the sixteenth century in Europe".
*The Fountain of Neptune, looking towards the harbour, built by Montorsoli in 1557.
*The [[John of Austria (Messina)|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
[[File:Messina Orion fountain 09-10-2023.jpg|thumb|Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli's Fountain of Orion in Piazza Duomo]]
[[File:Four Fountains Messina.jpg|thumb|One of the two surviving Four Fountains dating from the 17-18th centuries. Located on the corner of Via 1 Settembre and Via Cardines]]
===Museums===
*[[Regional Museum of Messina|Museo Regionale di Messina]] (MuMe) hosting notable paintings by [[Caravaggio]], [[Antonello da Messina]], [[Alonzo Rodriguez]], [[Mattia Preti]]
*The Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea di Messina, hostings paintings by [[Giò Pomodoro]], [[Renato Guttuso]], [[Lucio Fontana]], [[Corrado Cagli]], [[Giuseppe Migneco]], [[Max Liebermann]]
==Public transport==
=== Railways ===
The new Messina Centrale [[station building]] was projected following the [[Modern architecture|modern criteria]] of the [[Futurism|futurist]] architect [[Angiolo Mazzoni]], and is extended through the stations square. It is at almost contiguous with [[Messina Marittima railway station|Messina Marittima station]], located by the [[Port of Messina|port]] and constituting a Ferry transport in the Strait of Messina to [[Villa San Giovanni railway station|Villa San Giovanni station]] across the [[Strait of Messina]].<ref>[https://www.fondazionefs.it/content/fondazionefs/it/focus-tematici/2021/3/1/stazione-di-messina-marittima-.html Stazione di Messina Marittima] Fondazione FS Italiane</ref> In 2021 the harbor of Messina was the busiest passenger port in Europe with over 8.232.000 passenger crossings in one year.<ref>[https://ferrygogo.com/top-50-passenger-harbors-in-europe/ Top 50 Passenger Harbors in Europe] Ferrygogo Research</ref>
The station is electrified and served by regional trains. For long-distance transport it counts some [[InterCity]] and [[InterCity#Italy|ICN]] night trains to [[Rome]], linking it also with [[Milan]], [[Turin]], [[Venice]], [[Genoa]], [[Bologna]], [[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.<ref>[https://www.ferroviesiciliane.it/linee/metroferrovia-messina-giampilieri/ Metroferrovia Messina-Giampilieri] on Ferroviesiciliane {{in lang|it}}</ref>
=== Bus and tram ===
[[File:Messina ATM tram 12-02-2024.jpg|thumb|ATM tram 2024]]
Messina's public bus system is operated by ATM Messina:<ref>[[:it:ATM (Messina)|ATM Messina]]</ref> 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&nbsp;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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atmmessinaspa.it/servizio_bus.php?pag=2&tipo=1|author=atmmessinaspa.it|title=Linee ed orari|language=it|access-date=10 August 2022}}</ref> About 36 different routes reach every part of the city and also the modern [[Trams in Messina|Messina tramway]]<ref>[https://www.atmmessinaspa.it/servizio_tram.php?tipo=1 Messina Tramway on ATM website]{{in lang|it}}</ref> (at "Repubblica" stop, on station's square), opened in 2003. This line is {{convert|7.7|km}} 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.<ref>[https://www.atmmessinaspa.it/gestione/allegati/Carta_della_Mobilita_2020.pdf Carta della mobilità 2020 pag.6] su Atmmessinaspa.it 2020</ref><ref>[http://www.ponmetro.it/progetto?codice=ME2.2.1.a Sistema di infomobilità] su Ponmetro.it progetti Messina</ref>
==Sports team==
*[[A.C.R. Messina]]
*[[S.S.D. Città di Messina]]
==Notable people==
{{See also|Category:People from Messina}}
List of notable people from Messina or connected to Messina, listed by career and then in alphabetical order by last name.
=== Actors ===
* [[Adolfo Celi]], actor (1922–1986)
*[[Tano Cimarosa]], actor (1922–2008)
*[[Maria Grazia Cucinotta]], actress (born 1968)
*[[Nino Frassica]], actor (born 1950)
*[[Massimo Mollica]], actor (1929–2013)
*[[Rosalinda Cannavò|Adua Del Vesco]], actress (born 1992)
*[[Ninni Bruschetta]], actor (born 1962)
* Marina La Rosa, actress and [[Grande Fratello (season 1)]] contestant (born 1977)
*[[Gino Buzzanca]], actor (1912–1985)
=== Artists and designers ===
* [[Girolamo Alibrandi]], painter (1470–1524)
* [[Anna Maria Arduino]] (1672 – 1700), 17th century painter, writer and socialite, served as the Princess of [[Piombino]], from Messina.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donne in Arcadia (1690-1800)|url=http://www.arcadia.uzh.ch/donnedetails.php?id=13|access-date=2020-08-09|website=www.arcadia.uzh.ch}}</ref>
* [[Antonio Barbalonga]], painter (17th century)
* [[Francesco Comande]], painter (16th century)
* [[Antonello da Messina]], major painter of the Renaissance (1430–1479)
* [[Giuseppe Migneco]], painter (1908–1997)
* [[Giovanni Quagliata]], painter (1603–1673)
* [[Filippo Juvarra]], Baroque architect (1678–1736)
* [[Mariano Riccio]], painter (1510–1593)
* [[Alonzo Rodriguez]], painter (1578–1648)
* [[Valentina Romeo]] (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 [[Italian unification|Risorgimento]] (1815–1863)
* [[Gaetano Martino]], 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 [[List of mayors of Messina|mayor of Messina]] (1913–1981)
=== Musicians, composers ===
* [[Mario Aspa]], composer (1797–1868)
* [[Filippo Bonaffino]] (fl. 1623), Italian madrigal composer
* [[Alberto Urso]], singer (born 1997)
* [[Peppino D'Agostino]], guitarist (born 1956)
=== Religion ===
* [[Eustochia Smeralda Calafato]], saint (1434–1485)
* [[Hannibal Mary Di Francia|Annibale Maria Di Francia]], saint (1851–1927)
* [[Pope Leo II]], bishop of Rome (611–683)
=== Sport ===
* [[Tony Cairoli]], motocross world champion (born 1985)
* [[Vincenzo Nibali]], [[road bicycle racing|cyclist]] (born 1984)
* [[Antonio Stelitano]], Italian footballer (born 1987)
* [[Antonino Ragusa]], Italian footballer (born 1990)
=== Researchers, academics ===
*[[Aristocles of Messene]], peripatetic philosopher (1st century AD)
*[[Dicaearchus]], Greek philosopher and mathematician (350 BC—323 BC)
*[[Caio Domenico Gallo]], historian (1697–1780)
*[[Francesco Maurolico]], astronomer, mathematician and humanist (1494–1575)
*[[Agostino Scilla]], painter, paleontologist, geologist and pioneer in the study of fossils (1629–1700)
*[[Giuseppe Seguenza]], naturalist and geologist (1833–1889)
*[[Giuseppe Sergi]], anthropologist and psychologist (1841–1936)
*[[Michele Parrinello]], physicist (born 1945)
* Giulio Tarro, doctor and scientist (born 1938)
*[[Gaetano Martino]], 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==
[[File:The Statue of Messina (Dedicated to Ferdinand II of Bourbon, by sculptor G. Prinzi). Messina, Island of Sicily, Italy, Southern Europe.jpg|thumb|The statue of Messina]]
[[File:Pidoni.jpg|thumb|180px|Pitoni, a common dish in Messina]]
Numerous writers set their works in Messina, including:
*[[Plutarch]] – ''The Life of Pompey'' (40 BC?)
*[[Giovanni Boccaccio]] – ''Decameron'' IV day V novel, ''Lisabetta da Messina'' – IV day IV Novel, ''Gerbino ed Elissa'' (1351)
*[[Matteo Bandello]] – ''Novelliere'' First Part, novel XXII (1554)
*[[William Shakespeare]] – ''[[Much Ado about Nothing]]'' (1598) and ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' (1607)
*[[Molière]] – ''L'Étourdi ou Les Contre-temps'' (1654)
*[[Friedrich Schiller]] – ''Die Braut von Messina'' (''The Bride of Messina'', 1803)
*[[Silvio Pellico]] – ''Eufemio da Messina'' (1818)
*[[Friedrich Nietzsche]] – ''Idyllen aus Messina'' (''Idylls from Messina'', 1882)
*[[Giovanni Pascoli]] – poem ''L'Aquilone'' (1904)
*[[Elio Vittorini]] – ''Le donne di Messina'' (''Women of Messina'', 1949) and ''Conversazione in Sicilia'' (''Conversations in Sicily'', 1941)
*[[Stefano D'Arrigo]] – ''Horcynus Orca'' (1975)
*[[Julien Green]] – ''Demain n'existe pas'' (1985)
==Twin Towns==
*{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Telki]], Hungary
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kronstadt]], Russia
==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|European Union|Cities}}
* [[International Rally of Messina]]
* [[Messina Centrale railway station]]
* [[Messina Grand Prix]] held between 1959 and 1961
* [[Strait of Messina Bridge]]
* [[Pylons of Messina|Torre Faro]] 224 metres tall lattice tower
* [[Zanclean]] Age of the [[Pliocene]] Epoch in [[geology]], named for Zancle, ancient Messina
* [[Messinian]] Age of the [[Miocene]] Epoch in geology, named for Messina
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
{{See also|Timeline of Messina#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Messina}}
==External links==
{{AmCyc Poster}}
*{{Official website}} {{in lang|it}}
{{Sister bar|auto=y}}
{{Messina}}
{{Province of Messina}}
{{Cities in Italy}}
{{Magna Graecia}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Messina| ]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Sicily]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Messina]]
[[Category:Cumaean colonies]]
[[Category:Euboean colonies of Magna Graecia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 8th century BC]]
[[Category:8th-century BC establishments in Italy]]
[[Category:Greek city-states]]
[[Category:Populated places destroyed by earthquakes]]
[[Category:Messinian| ]]
[[Category:Zanclean| ]]