Messina ( /məˈsiːnə/; Italian pronunciation: [mesˈsiːna] , Sicilian: Missina; Latin: Messana) is the capital of the Italian province of Messina and the third largest city on the island of Sicily, with a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the province. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina, just opposite Villa San Giovanni on the mainland.