Ferries to Villa San Giovanni

Villa San Giovanni in Calabria is the Italian end of the Strait of Messina and so the land bridge to Sicily. The port serves a single destination, Messina, but does so almost by the minute: there are up to 107 sailings a day and the crossing takes around 15 minutes. The port is served by Caronte & Tourist. If you are heading for Sicily by car or motorhome, this is almost always where you cross.

Getting there and the terminal

The port is reached by the Salerno - Reggio Calabria motorway; from there you follow the signs to the Sicily loading points. Vehicles are processed at the Terminal Ticketing near the motorway link, and foot passengers at a separate desk in the boarding area. Check the arrival berth when you book: from here Caronte & Tourist serves both Rada San Francesco, the berth close to the centre of Messina, and Tremestieri further south.

Check-in

You cannot book a fixed sailing on this route. Services run around the clock, a crossing is guaranteed every 40 minutes, and when you buy your ticket you fix only the date of travel. So you join the lane with your vehicle and travel on the next ship with space. If you have to be in Messina at a particular time, build in a buffer.