Il Pilone

This venue on Sicily’s north-eastern tip was named after the huge pylon through which the island once drew its electricity from the mainland. The electric lines suffered under the constant winds of the Strait of Messina’s Venturi effect, but the tower was left standing when an underwater cable was finally laid instead. Il Pilone’s conditions reflect its location: powerful winds due to a Venturi between the 1,200m-high mountains, plus an immense current! Recent plans to build the longest bridge in the world south of here have been shelved; the cost was just too high for the predicted volume of traffic.