Its splendid beach was noted over two thousand five hundred years ago,when the Phoenicians, where the present-day village is,founded a commercial colony,which they called Phoenix.Then the fate of this place,for good or for bad,was always linked to the crystalline waters of the Ionian,for from the sea there came,in addition to natural riches,the perils of piracy,which for centuries infested the Mediterraneam.

For this reason,Santa Teresa di Riva was above all a place of lookout towers.From the time of the Arab invasion down to the Norman period,there were at least five of them.All that remains is the square Baglio Tower,with the remains of a perimeter wall,the Saracen Tower,and the Catalmo tower,encompassed in the urban texture of the medieval part.of the village.

Santa Teresa di Riva was always linked to the old barony of Savoca,and for centuries it was the seaside part of the latter.In 1849 the Bourbons destroyed almost all the houses at Marina di Savoca.However,the people that survived rebuilt the village,which in the end became independent of Savoca,thnks to Frederick II° of Boubon,in 1854.

And,as homage to the sovereign's wife,Teresa of Austria,the inhabitants called it Santa Teresa. After the Unification of Italy,the words "di Riva" were added,to distinguish it from other villages with the same name.

But at Santa Teresa di Riva there is not just history and testimonies to the past.In the village there are a lot of modern sculptures and murals in the squares,on the seafront,and in various other places in the village.Today Santa Teresa di Riva is also the most important commercial centre on the ionian side of Messina province.