Can there be an infrastructure that, although it does not yet exist, has already impacted the territory and people’s lives? In the narrative of the Strait of Messina, the Bridge is a phantom protagonist, an absent presence that influences the fates of those who inhabit its shores. Its “shadow” has led to the construction of preparatory infrastructure, changes to urban plans, and has fueled a debate that has consumed energy and resources. Thus, the Strait, with its tumultuous currents and ancient myths, continues to create stories of desires and contradictions, where a non-existent work can already reveal much about the future and present of a place and those who live there.