Messina

This article is about the city in Sicily, Italy. For other uses, see Messina (disambiguation).

Messina Missina (Sicilian) Μεσσήνη (Greek)
Comune
Comune di Messina
Skyline of Messina Messina Cathedral Madonna della Lettera Fontana del Nettuno Fontana di Orione
Flag Coat of arms
Position of the commune in the Metropolitan City
Messina Location of Messina in Italy Messina Messina (Sicily)
Coordinates: 38°11′37″N 15°33′15″E
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Metropolitan city	Messina (ME)
Frazioni	Altolia, Bordonaro, Briga Superiore, Camaro, Castanea delle Furie, Cumia, Giampilieri Superiore, Molino, Rodia, Torre Faro
Government
• Mayor	Federico Basile
Area
• Total	213.75 km2 (82.53 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (9.8 ft)
Population  (2025)
• Total	217,033
• Density	1,015.4/km2 (2,629.8/sq mi)
Demonym	Messinese
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISTAT code	083048
Patron saint	Madonna of the Letter
Saint day	3 June
Website	Official website

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Messina (/mɛˈsiːnə/ meh-SEE-nə, US also /mɪˈ-/ mih-; Italian: [mesˈsiːna] ^ⓘ) is a harbour city and the 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 217,033 inhabitants in the city proper and 595,948 in the metropolitan city as of 2025. 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.

Founded by the Sicels with the name of Zancle in 757 BC, which in their language meant sickle, it was repopulated by Greek colonists of Magna Graecia and renamed Messana. The city was renamed Messina in the Byzantine period. It was a major Roman city that contracted under the Byzantine and Arab rule to rise sharply in importance during the Norman era. It reached the height of its prosperity between the late Middle Ages and the mid-17th century, when it competed with Palermo for the role of capital of the Kingdom of Sicily.

Put to fire and sword in 1678 after a historic anti-Spanish revolt that led to the annihilation of its ruling class, it was seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1783. In 1908, another earthquake destroyed the city almost entirely, causing the death of about half the population. Rebuilding started in 1912, largely in the Liberty style, and an orderly and regular network of wide and straight streets in a north-south direction were built. Being a strategic target, the city of the strait was heavily bombed by the Allies of World War II in 1943 during the landing in Sicily, being hit by about 6,500 tons of explosives in about 2,800 air raids and four naval bombardments. This event earned the city the Gold Medal of Military Valor. Winston Churchill visited Messina after the bombing. He came to the city in July 1943, during the time when the Allies were executing the invasion of Sicily.

Its port, for thousands of years has been one of the main commercial crossroads of the Mediterranean and only recently becoming a port of call for ferries to the continent, is the first in Italy in terms of the number of passengers in transit. According to Eurostat the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants. The city has been a Roman Catholic Archdiocese and Archimandrite seat since 1548 and is home to the University of Messina.