Messina

It is said that the German philosopher Nietzsche arrived in Messina on a merchant ship, but was to afraid to go ashore, due to the stories he had heard of the plagues and earthquakes that had decimated the city in the 18th century. The city, which has always suffered from earthquakes, the most dramatic being that of 1908, is situated in the Strait between "Scilla" and "Cariddi". It is this strait which has always highlighted the separation of the island from the continent yet at the same time underlining its desire for a bridge to bind itself both to the rest of the nation and Europe. A desire much felt by the people of Messina itself. In centuries past the city always enjoyed a good deal of privilege and autonomy as a natural port and Sicilian outpost along the Strait. It was also, the scene of many famous battles. 1282 saw the resistance to the forces of Carlo D'Angiò. In 1571 Giovanni of Austria arrived with his fleet, after his victory over the Christians at Lepanto. In September 1848 the bombardment by the fleet of Ferdinando II of Bourbon, from then on known as "Re Bomba" (Bomb-King). During the Renaissance it greatly flourished not only in terms of trade and commerce but also as a meeting place for educated men, artists and men of great caliber and study such as Antonello da Messina. The change in its role started with the arrival of the Bourbon domination; the unification of Italy then followed thus making its geographical position as a link between the island and the peninsular less important. The setting up of naval and aerial means of communications then worsened the situation; notwithstanding this the area remains active with its shipyards, tourism and trade. Capo D'Orlando, Milazzo, Patti, Santo Stefano di Camastra and Taormina represent just some of these productive commercial and handicraft centers; Taormina in particular, a charming tourist town and a popular destination not only for Italians but for people from all over the world. The future of the Region rests upon the construction of the bridge across the-strait which would give a much needed impulse to the economy of the whole island At the same time however, mounting attention is being paid to the National Parks in the area, which with the Nebrodi Mountains rank as some of the most beautiful in Sicily.