In fact, bridges exist to connect people with each other. But at least one bridge in the far south of Italy has divided supporters and opponents for decades: the bridge over the Strait of Messina. The aim is to connect the Italian mainland to Sicily and its five million inhabitants. The idea has preoccupied Italian politics since Garibaldi's time in the 19th century. Several prime ministers – Bettino Craxi, Silvio Berlusconi, Romano Prodi – promised construction and, in the case of Berlusconi, who will die in 2023, also presented “definitive construction projects” and laid imaginary foundation stones. More than a billion euros have already been budgeted in this way, at the expense of taxpayers. But nothing was built.
