Messina and Reggio Calabria earthquake

Saved by a deep glance of love

It was nearly the dawn of December 28, 1908; between Scylla and Charybdis (prophetical names) a seaquake broke, provoked by a terrible earthquake and, in a few seconds the two opposite cities of Reggio Calabria and Messina, in Sicily, were devastated. Two cities mirroring in the same sea strait that unites the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea and, at the same time, divides them making of Sicily an island. Two important urban centers and two communities so near, so similar and at the same time so far and different. Calabria is a beautiful land, but also very hard and inaccessible: it never has been an easy country open to tourism, so much so that since ancient times people going to Sicily from the “boot” found easier boarding a ship (today a comfortable airplane) in Naples jumping the Calabrian lands. Maybe for the old reluctance that made those countries mysterious and even dangerous; maybe for the difficulties in the communications, maybe because sometimes the cartographers give themselves up to fanciful improvisations not always true: the fact is that all that concerns this branch of sea, often unpredictable and dangerous since Homer’s times, is mentioned as “Messina’s”. We often talk about Messina’s Strait, Messina’s earthquake, and somebody talks about Messina’s bridge.

Getting to the bottom of question, the Calabrians have more than one reason to complain. So, in order to right the wrong, obviously in a very little part, we’re going to tell a story about Reggio Calabria, that history books ignore.

It was the year 1543 and the French organized a summit meeting in Toulon, with the highest admirals that had the control over the Mediterranean Sea. They wanted to bring peace in a sea devastated by an endless war between the Ottoman Empire, trying to break through the Western line aided by the pirates in the Sultan’s employment, and the Spanish Empire allied with Venice, Genoa and the Pope. All the biggest powers sailed towards Toulon, at the head of well-trained fleets. It is clear that, after decades of traps, ambushes, treasons and slaughters above all, their mutual confidence was… really weak.

Alger’s pasha Khair-Eddyn (whose name means “the Good of Religion”) was the big admiral of the powerful pirate fleet based in Alger. Better known as Red Beard Khair-Eddyn, he was a big strategist and statesman and, like all the other pirates in the Sultan’s employment, didn’t lack courage, cruelty and greed. The pirate fleets were made of very fast combat galleys, driven by more than two hundred rowers; nevertheless they were afraid of the storms and sailed mostly coastwise. So the coarse from Alger to Toulon was scheduled to cross Messina’s Strait.

In order to stock the storeroom, stimulate the crew and get some booty, sometimes during the never-ending journey the fleet stopped to sack a seaside town, at random. As soon as, from Syracuse, the news that Red Bear’s fleet is going to the Strait arrived, Messina and Reggio Calabria were panic-stricken and prepared their defences with fear and trembling. When he got to Reggio Calabria, the Corsair thought that it was time to stretch his legs and to use his fists. A chore for corsairs. In a flash, they conquered the citadel and hushed up any defence. Meanwhile the Messina inhabitants, breathing a sigh of relief for being saved from the Corsair, looked elsewhere in order to not give aid to their unlucky neighbours.
The corsair crew was waiting anxiously for the order to sack and slaughter, but their violent boss’ terrible look met the deep eyes of a just thirteen-year old beautiful girl, Donna Maria, the Spanish Governor’s daughter. The old Corsair lost himself irremediably in her trembling big eyes, and fell in love with her. Then he left with his sweetheart, saving the city and its inhabitants.

The two love birds spent their honeymoon in Toulon, and Khair-Eddyn, in order to impress his very young beloved, displayed so many whimsies that drove his alleys and French hosts on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Under his rough exterior, allowing him to ride out any difficulty with cruelty and coldness, a tender, romantic and sentimental heart beat. It was love at first sight for both. Donna Maria, a little more than a child, followed him everywhere, in love and faithful. They had a child, Hassan. Three years later, Khair-Eddyn died in Donna Maria’s arms.

Thanks to this romantic love story, Reggio Calabria and its inhabitants escaped from ruin. Alas, in 1908 there wasn’t any benevolent sight to save them, but only the help from the rescue squads, after the disaster happened.