The present article examines the various landscape perceptions and representations conveyed by German-speaking travellers to Sicily around 1800. The principal focus of the investigation is the legendary Strait of Messina, which many travellers experienced as the first climax of their visit to the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The sight of the coastal landscape, the close interaction between water and land and the dangers of the deep likewise contributed to the fascination of the travellers. Moreover, the acute confrontation with the natural phenomenon of the Mediterranean inspired diverse literary and mythological associations among the travellers of the time. In their descriptions we often discover subtle overlays of empirical impressions and mythological memories, which are preferably linked to Homer’s ‚Odyssey‘.