The eternal illusion of Fata Morgana
A unique and exciting optical phenomenon
There was a time, on the banks of the Strait, where Reggio and Messina were the faces of a single great territory, a space that is no longer separated from the sea, but held together by indefinite and unattainable borders. From a distant time, handed down by literature and folk tales that still live on in the eyes of those who manage to capture the most hidden and mysterious souls of this place.
Two banks finally united
The same eyes as the Barbarian king who, having reached Reggio Calabria at the command of his men, found himself faced with the age-old dilemma that is gripping every visitor who reaches the southern end of the peninsula: crossing the sheet of water that separates the Calabrian coast from the Sicilian one in the easiest way, and continuing the journey.
As it happens in any place made immortal and apparently impassable due to the extraordinary beauty that Mother Nature has created, where human ingenuity cannot find adequate answers, here comes the evocative power of myth. It is an eternal suggestion that identifies the legend of Fata Morgana, the fulfilment of a union that for centuries the people of the two shores of the Strait can only imagine.
The nightmare of the past, the wonder of the present
Thus, the fairy of Celtic origin breaks the delay, first deceiving generals and sailors of every age, and simply leaving those who today are lucky enough to relive this extraordinary and rare spectacle of nature speechless. An optical phenomenon that in the Strait finds one of the few places in the world where it is possible to take place. An immense mirage that only from the Reggio shore and in specific climatic and light conditions (above all on summer mornings, on hot and humid days, and in the absence of wind and with a calm sea), makes Messina perfectly visible in every detail, cancelling the distances and erasing the large blue expanse in an imaginary way. It’s the mocking spell of Morgana, who has captivated and betrayed those who have succumbed to his irresistible appeal that continues to inexorably be fulfilled as an inescapable, rich, and meaningful destiny that accompanies this magical place.
