What strait separates the Italian peninsula from the island of Sicily?

The strait separating the Italian peninsula from the island of Sicily is the Strait of Messina.

The Strait of Messina lies between eastern Sicily and Calabria, the southern Italian mainland. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, making it a natural gateway through the central Mediterranean.

At its narrowest point, between Sicily’s Torre Faro and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, the strait is only about 3.1 kilometers wide. Ferries regularly cross between Messina and Villa San Giovanni, carrying passengers, cars, and trains between Sicily and the mainland.

The strait is famous for powerful tidal currents and turbulent, rotating waters. These features helped inspire the ancient Greek myths of Scylla, a monster associated with the Calabrian shore near the town of Scilla, and Charybdis, a dangerous whirlpool. It is often confused with the Strait of Sicily, which lies farther southwest between Sicily and North Africa.