From Roccalumera, Sicily, to Lazzaro, Calabria, where the Strait of Messina opens up into the Ionian Sea
A truck casually stopped on the roadside with wares for sale, Roccalumera, Sicily
Fishing is a smaller business in this part of the Mediterranean than many from elsewhere realize. But it's prevalent enough to add more colour to the coast -- and some fresh (albeit often expensive) protein to the table.
Travellers in the off season might miss some of the fun of basking in the sun on the many beaches that dot the Strait of Messina, where the mountains touch the sea, but the emptier vistas are stunning.
A golden Madonna and Neptune famously overlook the Strait of Messina from the city of Messina, but south along the coast of Sicily, other guardians of the sea can be found, like this one, near the town of Roccalumera.
Two pylons, that from 1957 to 1994 carried between them a massive powerline from Calabria on the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily, no longer serve any but a memorial purpose.
At its narrowest, the Strait of Messina is less than two miles across. For now, that two miles is still crossed by ferry -- regardless of whether you're walking or taking the train. A planned suspension bridge, which would be the longest in the world, was put on hold in 2006, but Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, or reelection in the spring of '08, promised to put the project back on track.
Sicily might be a land of fresh lemons and oranges and almond blossoms in early spring, but the weather aboard the car ferry across the Strait of Messina to the mainland is still cold.
From the dock of the ferry boat, everywhere in the port city of Messina, Sicily, seems to be facing the Strait.
In the way so typical of markets, the Catania, Sicily, fish market has grown to include meat, fruit and vegetables as well as seafood. This lamb butcher's stall is located in the shadow of one of the buildings that line the streets the market takes over every morning.
Stephanie Fysh has been a member since 5 January 2008 and goes by StephanieFysh.
Currently in Toronto, Canada.
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I am a Toronto-based editor and photographer with a thing about the erotics of the built world, of our selves, and of the photograph. And I am going to see the whole world before I die.
You can also find Stephanie at htpp://www.stephaniefysh.com.
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