May Cut a line lengthways across Italy, they say, and you'll get two different countries. While one side, to the north, enjoys relative prosperity, the other lags behind. Promises have been made - few kept. If the south feels forgotten, Sicily feels abandoned.
Unemployment is higher than elsewhere, crime rates growing every year.
Both in the towns and the countryside one can see visible signs of a faltering economy - half finished building projects, roads which have clearly seen better days. And yet, the Mediterranean's largest island has much to offer - breathtaking scenery , a rich cultural heritage. They dreamed also of uniting Sicily with the mainland. And the idea has resurfaced again, this time in the form of more promises from the politicians on the campaign trail. The difference now is that there's actually a concrete proposal on the table - a rail and road suspension bridge spanning the three and a half kilometres across the Messina straits.