Metropolitan City of Messina

It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and then established on 15 August 2015.^[6]

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 mi²), which amounts to 12.6 percent of total area of the island, and a total population of more 650,000. There are 108 comuni (sing.: comune) in the metropolitan city.^[7]

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.

As of 2026, the population is 594,074, of which 48.5% are male, and 51.5% are female. Minors make up 14.0% of the population, and seniors make up 26.2%.^[2]

• Province of Messina
• Strait of Messina metropolitan area
• Railway network of Sicily
• Niceto Valley
• Niceto