For nearly 3,000 years -- probably longer -- the Strait of Messina,
which separates Sicily from mainland Italy, has been notorious as one
of the more volatile places on Earth. In the Odyssey,
bloodthirsty sea monsters devoured those who tried to cross the
passage. And over the millennia, it has been the site of
ship-swallowing whirlpools and catastrophes like earthquakes, not to
mention Mafia scandals.
But Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vows that the strait will soon be
the home of a new legend -- the world's longest suspension bridge. As
the Italian government prepares to begin construction next year,
FRONTLINE/World Fellow Mary Spicuzza traveled to Sicily to
explore the storm building over the plans for a bridge across the
Strait of Messina.
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