In the Sicilian city of Messina, between the Boccetta and Annunziata rivers, a major redevelopment project is being carried out overlooking the sea. The project is being coordinated by Guendalina Salimei, who will curate the Italian Pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale, and will focus on the relationship between the territory and the sea, the theme chosen for this edition.
The project guidelines for Messina's new waterfront emerge from the existing urban grid, interweaving to redefine volumes and paths and frame evocative views of the strait. A linear park unites historical monuments and new spaces: the Ex Irrera a Mare will become an open-air cinema, while a large square with water features will connect the Porto Salvo church to the New Marina promenade.
The centrality of this structural relationship to the country's identity and ecological balance has long been overlooked.
Guendalina Salimei on her nomination as curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale
Tourist facilities such as hotels, restaurants and craft shops will be accommodated by the extension of access ramps and staircases to allow development at different heights. The masterplan also includes a cycle path, part of a wider plan to introduce cycle and pedestrian routes in the area.
Between fountains and water basins, Messina will bring the marine element back into its streets, rebuilding the relationship between the city and the sea.