Villa San Giovanni: the Strait of Messina, the ferries and the beaches of Cannitello
Villa San Giovanni is Calabria’s gateway across the Strait of Messina: it is from here that ferries and ships set sail for Sicily, at the point where the two shores draw closest together. Facing the channel that separates the mainland from the island, the town lives to the rhythm of departures and arrivals, with vessels constantly crossing the water and, in the background, the outline of the Sicilian coast and Mount Etna.
Just to the north, the hamlet of Cannitello offers pebble beaches and clear water at the very tip of the Costa Viola. Between its seafront, its railway junction and sunsets that blaze above the Strait, Villa San Giovanni is a place of passage that deserves a stop all of its own.
The Strait of Messina and the ferries to Sicily
Villa San Giovanni lies at the narrowest point of the Strait of Messina, where Calabria and Sicily are just a few miles of sea apart. Ferries to Messina leave the port continuously: some carry cars and passengers, others are historic train ferries that load entire railway convoys onto the ship’s deck to take them to the island, a tradition more than a century old. Watching the crossing is a spectacle in itself: vessels pass one another on the water while, in the background, the Sicilian coast stands out and, on clear days, the silhouette of Mount Etna. The Strait is also a place steeped in myth, its waters stirred by currents that the ancients said were home to Scylla and Charybdis.
Cannitello, the beaches and the tip of the Costa Viola
North of the centre, the hamlet of Cannitello marks the tip of the Costa Viola and offers the most seaside side of Villa San Giovanni. Its pebble beaches slope into clear, deep water, with Sicily so close it seems within reach and Mount Etna peeking beyond the Strait on the clearest days. It is a stretch of coast favoured above all by those seeking clean water and a less crowded atmosphere than the more famous spots. Nearby you come across reminders of the strategic position over the Strait, such as the old Torre Cavallo guarding the passage and the towering pylons of the power line that, high above the sea, spanned the channel for decades to link the two shores: landmarks now part of the landscape.
How to get to and around Villa San Giovanni
Villa San Giovanni is a transport hub between the mainland and Sicily. By car it is reached via the A2 “del Mediterraneo” motorway (Salerno–Reggio Calabria), which ends a few kilometres further south: from Reggio Calabria it is about twenty minutes. The railway station is a historic stop on the line to Sicily and is also served by long-distance trains. To cross the Strait, ferries to Messina leave the port frequently, for foot passengers and for those travelling by car alike. The nearest airport is Reggio Calabria, just a handful of kilometres away, while Lamezia Terme handles medium-haul connections. Once in town, the centre and the seafront are easily explored on foot, and from here it is simple to head to Cannitello and the other villages of the Costa Viola.