What's the old name of Messina in Sicily?

Apparently it’s Missina.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messina

I’m not sure. I just know that my family came from Messina to Salerno in the 16th century.

My grandpa is originally from Messina, too FGS! Maybe we’re distant cousins!

@La_chica_gomela Could be, who knows? :)

The ancient Romans called it Messana.

Messina, like all of Sicily, S.Italy and S.France, was first colonized by Greeks in the 8th c. BC (Romans were already in N.Italy by then, but not the south). The fights between those new colonies were what started the notorious Peloponnesian War in the 5th c. BC.

Half the colonies belonged to Athens and its allies in the Amphictyonea of Delos, but the other half were Spartan (or Peloponesean in general). The area around Sparta is called Lakonea (where the word “laconic” comes from), but the next area is called Messinia (even today). Which is where Messina comes from :)