Characteristics
The port of Villa San Giovanni is an artificial port and is protected by a straight breakwater at the root of which are the railway cradles: of these, three are specialized for the railway service and one (the one adjacent to the railway station) for boarding road vehicles. The land quay extends northwards and is used for ferries landings that operate for passengers, cars and trucks along the routes to the ports of Messina and Tremestieri.
The entrance is 230 m wide, while the quays measure approximately 1.2 km. The seabed is sandy and deep between 5 and 10 m, while the overall surface of the basin occupies about 6.7 ha.
The main function of the port is the ferrying of railway carriages on ships built for this purpose and it is equipped with special lifting bridges that allow direct boarding. The connection with the national railway network is ensured by large maneuvering areas, with dedicated bundles of tracks where railway operations are carried out.
The port is connected to the motorway network, in order to perform the no less important function of connecting ferries of passengers and heavy vehicles.
STATISTICS
Statistics of the Port of Villa San Giovanni
Statistics of the Port of Villa San Giovanni
GOODS
6,024,348t
Year 2021
PASSENGERS
7,180,910
Year 2021
HISTORY
The port of Villa S. Giovanni date back to prehistoric time. Villa is still the closest point to the Sicilian coast and was used by various peoples who gradually immigrated to the island and from the continent. The current location of the port is due to the establishment of the maritime railway connection.
A royal decree of the Italian government, in November 1893, issued the concession for steam navigation across the strait to the “Società per le strade ferrate della Sicilia” with the obligation to make two daily ferry runs between Messina and Villa San Giovanni, as connection from the Southern Tyrrhenian railway to Sicily.
On March 1st, 1905, the station of Villa was connected to the new ferry port by a railway connection and came into operation allowing the ferrying of railway wagons to be sent directly to the new Tyrrhenian line.
Villa San Giovanni Photo Gallery
