Messia was the host city of the start of Giro d’Italia 1930. This was the first time that the race visited Sicily. The program in the island included three stages
17 May 1930 Messina – Catania 174 km
18 May 1930 Catania- Palermo 280 km
20 May 1930 Palermo -Messin 257 km
Strange fun fact about the visit: as the peloton made its way by the volcanic Mount Etna during stage two, Luigi Marchisio, the future winner of this edition, got hit in the eye by some volcanic rock.This prompted him to wear a covering over his eyes for several days after the incident.