10 March 2009
The Italian government has revived plans to construct a controversial bridge linking mainland Italy with the island of Sicily.
President Silvio Berlusconi, reignited the idea to build the Messina bridge, whose centre span of 3.3km (two miles) would make it the longest in the world, when he was re-elected last year.
The idea was first conjured up in 2001, but abandoned by Italy’s former centre-left government a couple of years ago.
The programme to build the bridge, at a cost of around £16m, was announced last week, in a bid to generate new jobs and boost the economy. The bridge is expected to take between 5 and 10 years to construct.
Besides the bridge, it includes new urban rail networks, motorway expansion, prison and school construction, and a flood barrier system in Venice.
Tourism in Sicily, buoyed by the introduction of a growing number of low-cost airlines, is currently growing at a rapid rate. This in turn has boosted demand for properties in Sicily to both buy and rent.
Some of the most popular places to currently buy property in Sicily include Taorimina, Catania, Palermo and Mount Etna.
Elsewhere, there are a number of emerging areas, such as Ragusa, Comiso Siracusa and Sciacca in the southeast of the island, where new motorways and an international airport are close to completion. It’s reportedly still possible to buy a small apartment from around £40,000 in these areas. Golf enthusiasts may be keen to learn that a nearby £120m hotel and golf resort is currently being constructed in the southeastern village of Verdura.
See Also: Italy (9), Sicily (1)
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