«Coronata di monti, Regina del mare». Il ruolo simbolico dell'acqua nell’immagine di Messina nella prima età Moderna.

The struggle between Messina and Palermo over the 'capital question' has profoundly affected the history of early modern Sicily. Messina and Palermo concurred in creating the image of a capital city through the production of city histories and founding myths aimed at testifying to its greater antiquity compared to its rival. Particular importance is also given to urban construction, which in the 16th and 17th centuries transformed the appearance of both centres with a chronological and typological proximity that immediately reveals the competition taking place. Messina's geographical position, dominating the Strait of the same name, allowed the city's ruling class to convey its image as the 'Queen of the Sea' city. The paper sets out to analyse the multiform declinations of this image – in art, architecture, scholarly works, the sacred – used by the urban elite to assert the supremacy of Messina in the long contest with its rival Palermo.