Messina
Photo: StefanoBarillà at it.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- 2d ago
Magnitude 5.5 quake off Sicily prompts tsunami alert and Palermo school closures
A seismic sequence in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, off the Aeolian Islands, produced a magnitude 5.5 quake on Friday, 23 October, and a tsunami alert that was lifted about an hour later. Palermo has closed its schools and universities until 8 am on Sunday, 25 October.
- 4d ago
Rome prosecutors order Strait of Messina bridge documents from ministry and contractors
Carabinieri were ordered to collect the papers the transport ministry and bridge companies sent to the Court of Audit, months after June searches seized phones and devices.
- Sep 30
Peppino Mazzullo, Italian actor and voice of Topo Gigio for 45 years, dies at 100
Italian actor Peppino Mazzullo, who voiced the puppet Topo Gigio from 1961 to 2006, died on Wednesday morning at his home in Santo Stefano di Briga at the age of 100.
- Sep 26
Lawyer hospitalized in intensive care after client acid attack in Messina
A 58-year-old lawyer is in intensive care with deep burns across 20% of his body after a female client threw a caustic liquid at him in Messina, Sicily.
- Aug 28
Germany and Italy play record 89-minute volleyball set ending 66-64 in Reggio Calabria
Germany won a 130-point opening frame 66-64 before Italy rallied to claim a 3-2 victory in a preparation match lasting over three hours.
- Aug 26
Azores high pressure brings sunny start across Italy before mid-week Atlantic storms
The Azores anticyclone is delivering sunny skies and highs near 31°C to Italy before an Atlantic front brings rain and cooler air from 16 September.
- Aug 23
Leo Gullotta alleges political exclusion from Taormina Arte theatre awards gala
Actor Leo Gullotta stated he was dropped from the 50th-anniversary Taormina theatre awards due to regional political interference, while festival organizers cited a selection among 100 candidates.
- Aug 20
Bari and Palermo face red heat alerts as storms trigger warnings in five Italian regions
The Italian Ministry of Health declared level 3 heatwave emergencies for Bari and Palermo on 22 August 2026, while the Civil Protection Department issued yellow thunderstorm warnings for five regions across the peninsula.
- Aug 16
Police examine security response after Antonello da Messina paintings stolen in Sicily
Messina police are reviewing surveillance footage and assessing security conduct after two helmeted thieves broke into the regional museum on 15 August, taking six Renaissance paintings and leaving two on a pavement.
- Aug 14
Italian singer Francesco Gabbani falls ill mid-concert in Sicily, plans to perform same evening
Francesco Gabbani interrupted his Letojanni concert after five songs on 12 August, citing heat and travel fatigue. He recovered and planned to perform in Sant'Angelo di Brolo the same evening.
- Aug 8
Divers discover 2,100-year-old Roman shipwreck off Sicily with hundreds of amphorae
A Roman-era shipwreck dating to between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC has been found about 3 miles off Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, at a depth of 46 meters, carrying hundreds of amphorae mostly of the Dressel 1A type.
- Aug 8
Catania airport reopens after Etna ash forces week-long shutdown in peak tourist season
Flights resumed at Catania airport on Saturday, August 15, after authorities downgraded Etna's aviation alert from red to orange, ending about a week of cancellations that affected more than 100,000 travelers during Italy's peak Ferragosto holiday weekend.
- Jul 30
Three dead, three missing after Messina building collapse; three under investigation for manslaughter
Rescuers recovered a third body Saturday from the rubble of a collapsed building in the Pistunina district of Messina, where three people remain missing. Prosecutors have placed three individuals under investigation for multiple manslaughter and culpable disaster.
- Jul 28
Italy issues yellow alerts across 13 regions as deadly storms end heatwave
A sudden Atlantic disturbance brought severe thunderstorms and a fatal lightning strike to Italy on 17 August, triggering yellow weather alerts in 13 regions and postponing the Palio in Siena.
- Jul 18
Two dead, two intoxicated after fire engulfs top-floor apartment in Milan's Cimiano district
A fire broke out shortly after 19:30 on Saturday in a sixth-floor apartment on via Padre Placido Riccardi in Milan's Cimiano district, killing a man and a woman and leaving at least two others suffering from smoke inhalation.
- Jul 10
Vasco Rossi sells out 550,000 tickets for Rome residency in 30 minutes as Ultimo reaches 500,000 in parallel surge
Italian rock icon Vasco Rossi sold all 550,000 tickets for his 10-date Giubileo residency at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico within half an hour of the general sale on 10 July 2026, while younger singer-songwriter Ultimo reported 500,000 tickets sold for his 2027 stadium tour.
- Jul 5
Italy's heatwave peaks with 14 cities on red alert as Scandinavian cool front brings relief and storms
After weeks of extreme heat, a Scandinavian trough will push temperatures down by up to 10°C across Italy starting Monday, triggering violent thunderstorms and ending the third heatwave of the summer.
- Jun 29
15-year-old girl dead after motorcycle collision in Torre Faro, Messina; 20-year-old rider arrested for vehicular homicide
A 15-year-old girl was killed late Sunday night when she was struck by a motorcycle on Via Circuito in Torre Faro, Messina. The 20-year-old rider, also injured, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
- Jun 11
Italy seizes €560 million in fake Superbonus tax credits, 12 under investigation
Italian financial police froze about €560 million in fictitious tax credits generated through the Superbonus 110 scheme, uncovering a nationwide network of over 60 shell companies that used real property data without owners’ knowledge.
- Jun 11
Former audit court president Miele resigns from CSM oversight role amid Strait of Messina bridge corruption probe
Tommaso Miele, the former deputy president of Italy's Court of Auditors, stepped down as head of the CSM's board of auditors on 11 June 2026, days after being placed under investigation for corruption tied to the Strait of Messina bridge project.
