Italy
Scilla
Homer's sea monster laired here, now swordfish boats patrol the Strait of Messina at dawn.
The Strait of Messina narrows to a corridor of dark current between Calabria and Sicily, and Scilla sits right on its edge, the Chianalea quarter dropping straight into the water. Boats knock against house walls at high tide. At dawn the swordfish boats slide out with lookouts already climbing the masts.
Scilla holds the narrowest reach of the Strait of Messina, the very waters where Homer lodged the monster Scylla across from her whirlpool twin. Chianalea, called the little Venice of the south, is a fishing quarter built on the rocks, ground floors opening onto the sea and boats moored at doorsteps. The Castello Ruffo has guarded the headland since antiquity, Sicily clearly visible across the current. The swordfish hunt continues from late spring aboard passerella boats, towering masts for the spotters and absurdly long bow walkways for the harpooneer, among the final Mediterranean harbours where the method survives.
Solo
Watch the swordfish boats leave at dawn from Chianalea, then eat what they caught; the town's rhythm admits you quietly.
Couple
Dusk in the fishing quarter with Messina's lights across the strait and swordfish on the table needs no embellishment.
- Chianalea, the Little Venice of the South, opens its house doors straight onto the strait.
- Homer set Scylla at this exact narrowing of the water, her whirlpool opposite.
- Passerella boats still hunt swordfish with mast-top spotters and long bow walkways.
- The Castello Ruffo headland has watched the strait since antiquity, Sicily plainly visible.
Swordfish carpaccio comes sliced thin at the harbour, dressed with little more than lemon and capers.
Pasta with swordfish and mint sounds strange and eats addictive, the strait on a plate.
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