Messina is the third largest city located in northeastern Sicily, Italy. It has a population of around 250,000 people and is separated from mainland Italy by the Strait of Messina. There is ongoing debate about building a bridge connecting Messina to mainland Italy to make travel between the two areas easier. The Strait of Messina experiences strong tidal currents that have been harnessed to generate renewable energy through a turbine platform called Kobold, which provides up to 40 kW of power to the electrical grid. The city of Messina faces issues such as traffic jams and flooding, and there is room for improved public transportation infrastructure.

1. B.I.O.S.E. TEAM presents its city and its school Multilateral Partnership LLP/Comenius Programme 2009/2011 2009-1-CY1-COM06-00472-5 -

2. Europe

3. Italy

4. Sicily

5. Messina Messina is located in the North-East of Sicily, the biggest island of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third largest city on the island. It has a population of approximately 250,000 inhabitants in the city itself and about 500,000 in the surrounding area. The strait of sea (called the Straits of Messina) divide it from Italian peninsula .

6. Messina is called the door of Sicily: every movement by land from and to Sicily pass through it. The climate is mild Mediterranean: in winter the temperature never goes below 0° C.

7. Bridge: an opportunity? Opposition to the bridge In favor of the bridge Maybe in the future a bridge will be built to make the passage from Calabria to Sicily and vice-versa easier.

8. The Straits of Messina The Straits of Messina connect the Tyrrhenian sea with the Ionian sea, separating Calabria from Sicily. It has a length of 32 km, it forms a sort of funnel, with a width of 3Km at the narrowist point in the north and 16 Km at the widest point in the south.

9. The Straits of Messina are crossed by many merchant ships and cruiseships that travel on the Mediterranean Sea. Regular ferry services, used for the transport of both trains and motor vehicles, ensure the connections between Villa San Giovanni and Messina. Navigation in these Straits isn’t easy because there are irregular tides and violent winds. Transport on the Straits

10. . . . In the background Calabria The Straits of Messina are a naturalistic area

11. The big lake and . . . . . . the small one In this area there are two salt water lakes, called “Ganzirri lakes”

12. 1908: Calabria and Sicily devastated by an earthquake The Straits of Messina are in a high earthquake risk area. These imagines are of 1908 when the city was completely destroyed

13. The port historical view of the port The main economical resource of the city is the port, both commercial and military. Montorsoli’s lighthouse, a military structure

14. Corners of the city: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is one of the most famous places for young people of all ages . Inside there is also a disco. Cairoli Square is our most important square and it’s famous for its small kiosks where we drink very good lemonade...

15. The cathedral and Duomo Square Duomo Square represents a historic part of Messina. It is visited by tourists for the presence of an ancient and astronomic clock. It is the only pedestrianized area in the city.

16. Transport In Messina many people use their cars and motorbikes….Public transport isn’t efficient and people prefer to use private means. Bikes also aren’t used a lot unlike in the North of Italy.

17. Electric trams join the north zone of city with the south one, across the centre. There are buses that connect the railway station to the sub-urban areas, as well as outside villages and other places in the Province. There are also frequent buses for Catania' airport. The tram

18. The city's problems Recent flood Jams Long queues to come to Sicily

19. Current and energy in the Straits In the Straits of Messina the average speed of the tidal current is very high, about 2m/s, with peaks of 5m/s The Straits of Messina are the first place in the world to produce electric energy using the sea currents In 2001, the “Ponte di Archimede” society, and other public partnerships, erected a platform just off the coast of Ganzirri

20. The Kobold platform in the Straits of Messina

21. Kobold Kobold is the name of this plant. This is the name of a pixie of North European mythology. Kobold is able to convert kinetic energy from marine currents into mechanical rotor energy with high rendering. The Kobol turbine is mounted on a vertical shaft wich produces mechanical energy by exploiting marine currents. The energy produced by Kobold is introduced into the national grid. The prototype provides up to 40 KW of electric energy To increase the supply of energy, 33 panels have been positioned on the roof of the plant.

22. Our school: ”Emilio Ainis” …outside Our school is an upper secondary school, with courses mainly vocated to humanistic studies.

23. . . . interior Our headmaster with a student

24. Soccer pitch and laboratory

25. Go to school … Every day teachers, students, the headmaster and the scholastic team reach the school by bus, tram, car and scooter. Only a minority come on foot or by bike...