Metropolitan City of Messina

Not to be confused with Strait of Messina metropolitan area.

The Metropolitan City of Messina (Italian: città metropolitana di Messina) is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina. It replaced the province of Messina and comprises Messina and 107 other comuni (sg.: comune).

Metropolitan City of Messina Città metropolitana di Messina (Italian) Citati mètrupulitana di Missina (Sicilian)
Metropolitan City
Palazzo del Leoni, the metropolitan city seat
Coat of arms
Location of the Metropolitan City of Messina
Coordinates: 38°11′00″N 15°33′00″E
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Established	4 August 2015
Capital(s)	Messina
Comuni	108
Government
• Metropolitan Mayor	Federico Basile
Area
• Total	3,266.12 km2 (1,261.06 sq mi)
Population  (2025)[1]
• Total	595,948
• Density	180/km2 (470/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Metro	€10.980 billion (2015)
• Per capita	€17,076 (2015)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	IT-ME
ISTAT	283[3]
Website	Official website

It has 595,948 inhabitants as of 2025.^[1] According to Eurostat in 2014,^[4] the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina had 277,584 inhabitants. The nearby archipelago of Aeolian Islands is also administratively a part of the Metropolitan City of Messina.

History

It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and then established on 15 August 2015.^[5]

Geography

The metropolitan city borders with the Metropolitan City of Palermo (the former province of Palermo), the Metropolitan City of Catania (the former province of Catania) and the province of Enna. Part of its territory includes the Metropolitan area of the Strait of Messina, shared with Reggio Calabria.

It had an area of 3,247 square kilometres (1,254 sq mi), which amounts to 12.6 percent of total area of the island, and a total population of more 650,000. There are 108 comuni (sg.: comune) in the metropolitan city.^[6]

The metropolitan city included the Aeolian Islands, all part of the comune (municipality) of Lipari (with the exception of Salina). The territory is largely mountainous, with the exception of alluvial plain at the mouths of the various rivers. The largest plain is that in the area between Milazzo and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, which, together with Messina, form a metropolitan area of some 500,000 inhabitants, one of the largest in southern Italy. Much of the population is concentrated in the coastal area, after the hill towns have been largely abandoned from the 19th century.

The main mountain ridges are the Peloritani, up to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in elevation, and the Nebrodi, up to 1,900 metres (6,200 ft), which are included in a Regional Natural Reserve.

Rivers of the metropolitan city include the Alcantara and the Pollina, which forms the border with the Metropolitan City of Palermo to the west.

Gallery

• 
  Isola Bella, Taormina
• 
  Alcantara canyon
• 
  The Rocca Salvatesta (1,340 metres (4,400 ft)) from Fondachelli-Fantina
• 
  The Sanctuary of Tindari over Marinello lakes
• 
  Megaliths of Argimusco, Montalbano-Elicona
• 
  Bosco di Malabotta Nature Reserve
• 
  Nebrodi
• 
  Aeolian Islands
• 
  the Isola Bella at Taormina city
• 
  The Rocca Salvatesta face from Fondachelli-Fantina town
• 
  Giardini Naxos, a popular resort in the Metropolitan City of Messina

Demographics

Stromboli volcano, Aeolian Islands

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1861 399,688 —     1871 426,402 +6.7% 1881 467,233 +9.6% 1901 550,895 +17.9% 1911 545,974 −0.9% 1921 613,028 +12.3% 1931 605,456 −1.2% 1936 627,093 +3.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1951 667,963 +6.5% 1961 685,260 +2.6% 1971 654,703 −4.5% 1981 669,323 +2.2% 1991 646,871 −3.4% 2001 662,450 +2.4% 2011 649,824 −1.9% 2021 603,229 −7.2%
Source: ISTAT[7][8]

Municipalities

Messina

Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto.

Taormina

Milazzo

Capo d'Orlando

Patti

Lipari

Sant'Agata di Militello

Santa Teresa di Riva

Giardini-Naxos archeological park

The most populous municipalities in the metropolitan city are:

Municipality	Population	Area (km²)	Density (inh/km²)
Messina	216,918	213.23	1,017
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto	39,778	58.89	675
Milazzo	29,830	24.23	1,231
Capo d'Orlando	13,061	14	932
Lipari	12,793	89.72	142
Patti	12,674	50.08	253
Sant'Agata di Militello	12,036	33.5	359
Taormina	10,433	13.13	794
Santa Teresa di Riva	9,200	8.12	1,133
Giardini-Naxos	9,377	5.29	1,773

The full list of all 108 municipalities is:

• Acquedolci
• Alcara li Fusi
• Alì
• Alì Terme
• Antillo
• Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto
• Basicò
• Brolo
• Capizzi
• Capo d'Orlando
• Capri Leone
• Caronia
• Casalvecchio Siculo
• Castel di Lucio
• Castell'Umberto
• Castelmola
• Castroreale
• Cesarò
• Condrò
• Falcone
• Ficarra
• Fiumedinisi
• Floresta
• Fondachelli-Fantina
• Forza d'Agrò
• Francavilla di Sicilia
• Frazzanò
• Furci Siculo
• Furnari
• Gaggi
• Galati Mamertino
• Gallodoro
• Giardini Naxos
• Gioiosa Marea
• Graniti
• Gualtieri Sicaminò
• Itala
• Leni
• Letojanni
• Librizzi
• Limina
• Lipari
• Longi
• Malfa
• Malvagna
• Mandanici
• Mazzarrà Sant'Andrea
• Merì
• Messina
• Milazzo
• Militello Rosmarino
• Mirto
• Mistretta
• Mojo Alcantara
• Monforte San Giorgio
• Mongiuffi Melia
• Montagnareale
• Montalbano Elicona
• Motta Camastra
• Motta d'Affermo
• Naso
• Nizza di Sicilia
• Novara di Sicilia
• Oliveri
• Pace del Mela
• Pagliara
• Patti
• Pettineo
• Piraino
• Raccuja
• Reitano
• Roccafiorita
• Roccalumera
• Roccavaldina
• Roccella Valdemone
• Rodì Milici
• Rometta
• San Filippo del Mela
• San Fratello
• San Marco d'Alunzio
• San Pier Niceto
• San Piero Patti
• San Salvatore di Fitalia
• Santa Domenica Vittoria
• Sant'Agata di Militello
• Sant'Alessio Siculo
• Santa Lucia del Mela
• Santa Marina Salina
• Sant'Angelo di Brolo
• Santa Teresa di Riva
• San Teodoro
• Santo Stefano di Camastra
• Saponara
• Savoca
• Scaletta Zanclea
• Sinagra
• Spadafora
• Taormina
• Terme Vigliatore
• Torregrotta
• Torrenova
• Tortorici
• Tripi
• Tusa
• Ucria
• Valdina
• Venetico
• Villafranca Tirrena

Government

List of Metropolitan Mayors of Messina

	Metropolitan Mayor	Term start	Term end	Party
1	Renato Accorinti	10 June 2016	26 June 2018[9]	Independent (left-wing)
2	Cateno De Luca	26 June 2018	14 February 2022	Independent (centre)
3	Federico Basile	16 June 2022	Incumbent	Independent (right-wing)

Traditions and folklore

Feast of the Guardian Angel, the second Sunday of July at Fondachelli Fantina

date	Feast	City
6 December	Feast of Saint Nicholas	Saponara
8 December	Feast of the Immaculate Conception	Saponara
13 December	Feast of Saint Lucy	Santa Lucia del Mela
6 January	living Nativity scene	Montalbano Elicona
20 January	Feast of Saint Sebastian	Mistretta
19 March	Feast of Saint Joseph	Oliveri
19 March and Tuesday after Easter	Feast of Saint Joseph	Piraino
19 March	Feast of Saint Joseph	Merì
the 11-12 and third Suturday of May	Feast of Saint Philip of Agira	Limina
3 June	Feast of the Madonna della Lettera	Messina
3 June	Feast of the Madonna della Lettera	Itala
12 June	Feast of the Madonna di Montalto	Messina
13 June and following Sunday	Feast of Anthony of Padua	Milazzo
24 June	Feast of Saint John the Baptist	Castanea, Messina
29 June	Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul	San Pier Niceto
2 July	Feast of Our Lady of Graces	Furci Siculo
first Sunday of July	Feast of Saint Maria Annunziata	Merì
first Sunday of July	Feast of the Madonna of the saint water	Valdina
first Sunday of July	Feast of Our Lady of Graces	Naso
second Sunday of July	Feast of the Saint Guardian Angel	Fondachelli-Fantina
16 July	Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel	Roccalumera
25 July	Feast of the Saint James	Capizzi
first Sunday of August	Feast on the sea of the Saint Mary of Porto Salvo	Santa Teresa di Riva
first Sunday of August	Feast on the sea of the Saint Sebastian	Graniti
3 August	Feast of the Madonna of Dinnammare	Larderia, Messina
5 August	Feast of the Saint Mary of the Snows	Santa Lucia del Mela
9–10 August	Feast of Saint Lorenz	Frazzanò
second Sunday of August	Feast of Saint Lucy	Savoca
second Sunday of August	Feast of Saint Sebastian	Gaggi
14–16 August	Feast on the Assumption of Mary	Gallodoro
15 August	Feast on the Assumption of Mary	Messina
15 August	Feast on the Assumption of Mary	Novara di Sicilia
first Sunday of September	Feast of the Madonna of the chain	Mongiuffi Melia
8 September	Feast of the Madonna of the Divine providence	Fondachelli-Fantina
7–8 September	Feast of the black Madonna of Tindari	Tindari

Transport

Motorways

The Autostrada A20 Messina - Catania near Torregrotta

The metropolitan city is crossed by the following motorways (in Italian, autostrade):

• Autostrada A18: Messina - Catania
• Autostrada A20: Messina - Palermo

Railway lines

• Messina–Syracuse railway

See also

• Province of Messina
• Strait of Messina metropolitan area