Strait of Messina

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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. 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.

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 This powerline has since been replaced by a submarine power cable, but the pylons are still there because they are protected as national monuments.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.)

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. As recently as 2006, plans were underway, but these have now been scrapped (see Strait of Messina Bridge).

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.

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Last updated on Tuesday March 04, 2008 at 00:45:50 PST (GMT -0800)
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