Messina is separated from the Italian mainland by a 5km tract of sea known as the Strait of Messina that was guarded, according to Virgil’s Aeneid, by Scylla and Charbydis. The worldwide known Aeolian Islands, with their uncontaminated environment, fall within the province’s administration, as well as other two important tourist sites, namely the Nebrodi mountain chain and the Alcantara gorge. The latter, arisen by eruptions of the Monio crater, forms part of a Nature Reserve comprising 14 cities between Catania and Messina provinces, home to a richest flora and fauna.