General Info

General Information Messina is located about ten kilometers from the northeastern extremity of Sicily, on the strait that takes its name from the city itself. It was founded by the Greeks, who gave it the name of Zancle, because of the sickle shape (zancle in Greek) of the natural harbor. Messina lived its golden period between 1400 and 1600, when it competed with Palermo for the role of capital of the island. Due to its position, the city is the gateway of Sicily, and from its port (historically very important) cruise ships of various companies pass and stop, and the city receives the visit of numerous passengers. The city, following several natural disasters - the last of which is the earthquake of December 1908 -, and also due to the numerous bombings suffered during the last world war, had a total makeover of the urban buildings. Today it looks like a new city, sometimes modern, with wide avenues and facing the sea in the northern area, from which there is a remarkable view, and a small historic center, which revolves around the cathedral, in which however, numerous testimonies of an important past from the historical point of view. The heritage is full of glories and with a great mixture of styles, from the Romanesque to the liberty, from the Arab-Norman influences to the rationalism, the dominant style of the 30’s. From here you can also go on a tour through the beauties that its suburbs offer, such as Taormina, Tindari or the Aeolian Islands, which make Messina the second province of southern Italy and the first in Sicily by number of tourists.

Top Things To See

Messina is a city rich in history and despite the repeated destruction suffered over the centuries it still preserves numerous testimonies of the past, monuments and museums that are worth seeing. The Cathedral The Cathedral was built during the reign of Justinian. Consecrated by the Muslims and transformed into a mosque, the religious building in Messina was deified in 1197 in the presence of Archbishop Bernard of Masio, Emperor Henry VI, son of Frederick Barbarossa, and his wife Constance of Altavilla. From the 300 some changes were implemented that distorted the original Norman references. It was totally devastated by the violent earthquake of 1908 and subsequently underwent an important reconstruction in the 1920s, which brought to light the primordial beauty and part of the most ancient artistic works. Valuable are the mosaics and funeral monuments and some statues of saints such as the San Giovanni Battista by Antonello Gagini from 1525. The cathedral organ is the second largest in Italy, one of the largest in Europe. The Crypt occupies the basement of the transept and of the three apses. During the seventeenth century it was decorated with stuccos, gilding and frescoes, some restored or rebuilt in 1858. Currently it is not accessible. Next to the Duomo there is its bell tower, built after the 1908 earthquake by Archbishop Paino. The previous one, from the Norman era, repeatedly damaged had been demolished in 1863. The bell tower contains a mechanical representation that at 12.00 pm recalls some episodes of local history and a large astronomical clock, made in 1933 by the Ungerer brothers from Strasbourg. It was inaugurated on August 15th 1933 and, thanks to its 54 automata on a height of 45 m, it is one of the largest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clocks in the world. Fountain of Orion Without moving from the Dome we find one of the most beautiful Renaissance fountains ever made, or the Fountain of Orion, commissioned by the Senate of Messina to Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, a pupil of Michelangelo who later also created other works in the city, to celebrate the opening of the first city aqueduct. The fountain represents the mythical founder of the city, Orione, with his dog Sirio, surrounded by marine elements like the tritons and at its base the representation of the four most important rivers, namely Ebro, Tevere, Nilo and Camaro, the city stream whose waters feed the fountain. Going down from Via I Settembre, which starts exactly from the fountain of Orione, we can then find the "Quattro Fontane", built between 1666 and 1742 to decorate one of the main intersections of the city center. The four fountains, with an angular structure, presented a clear Baroque mold, with masks and the rich ornamental apparatus that reproduces typical Messina motifs, linked to the marine world such as shells, dolphins, tritons. Seriously damaged by the earthquake of 1908, two of them were rebuilt near the original site, while the others were transferred to the Regional Museum. Continuing instead from the Duomo in the direction of the statue dedicated to Don Giovanni d'Austria we find the Church of the Catalans, built by the Normans in the period from 1150 to 1200 on the remains of a classical temple dedicated to Neptune, it was renamed Santa Maria di Castellammare. The earthquake of 1908 spared it in the structure, but caused all the superfetation of the Baroque period and the buildings against the apse to collapse, bringing back to light the primitive architectural structures. The church is located at a lower level than the current street level, raised due to the stratification of the materials accumulated after the devastation of the 1908 earthquake. The Church of the Catalans presents a very rare architectural eclecticism even for other Norman monuments dating back to the same period, thanks to the strong Arab influences that modified its structure, creating a unique architectural beauty, thanks to the strong Arab influences that have modified its structure, creating a unique architectural beauty. Neptune Fountain Another important work in the center of Messina is the Fountain of Neptune, the second fountain created in Messina by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli after the aforementioned Fountain of Orion: the Neptune fountain was completed in 1557 and originally placed in front of the Palazzata (a curtain of buildings in front of the sea) on the docks of the port, near the Town Hall, with the shoulders turned towards the sea, probably to symbolize the god Neptune that offers to the city the wealth of its sea. In 1934 the fountain was moved to the current site, in Piazza Unità d’Italia, at the behest of the then prefect, and rotated 180 degrees from the original direction so that today it faces the sea. This has altered the original alignment with the other two important works by Montorsoli: the fountain of Orion and the beacon of San Ranieri. The work is a representation of the god of the sea Neptune, as if it had just risen from the waters, which keeps chained at its feet the sea monsters of Scylla and Charybdis: it is an allegory of the physical and moral strength of the City that tames adversity. Those of Neptune and Scilla are copies made during the nineteenth century, while the original monuments are preserved in the Regional Museum. The Shrine of Christ the King and the belvedere The Shrine of Christ the King, whose dome is visible from all over the city. The temple rises on a hill that, panoramically, is one of the most beautiful in Messina, and on which stood the Castle of Roccaguelfonia or Matagriffone, of which it is possible to see the remains. Given its panoramic and strategic position, here was the Acropolis of the city, then Byzantine fortress and home during the third crusade of Richard the Lionheart who stayed there before continuing his journey to the Holy Land. In more recent times it was also a district prison. On the octagonal tower of the old castle, in August 1935 a large bell was placed dedicated to the fallen of all wars, the third in Italy by size, merged with the bronze of Austrian cannons of the First World War. In front of the Shrine there is a panoramic square named after Montorsoli which offers an extraordinary view that stretches from the city center, with its characteristic natural sickle-shaped port, up to Capo Peloro. S. Salvatore Fort and the beacon of Montorsoli The Fort of S. Salvatore is the fundamental element of the fortifications wanted by Charles V and built by the engineer Antonio Ferramolino from Bergamo starting from 1537. The decision to erect the fortress was taken to make more effective defense of the port and the city: its strategic position made it a military instrument of extreme power. On the tower of the ancient fort San Salvatore stands an octagonal stele, 35 meters high. The reinforced concrete column, covered in Trapani stone, is surmounted by the statue of the Madonnina, symbol of the city. The Statue of the Madonna of the Port of Messina It was inaugurated with a solemn ceremony in 1934 by Pope Pius XI who operated from Rome the device that was conceived and developed by Guglielmo Marconi, with which the lights that lit the stele, the inscription on the wall of the San Salvatore and the halo of the Madonna. Recent restorations have improved the conservation status of the fortress; however, access is forbidden as the structure is located in the area of a base of the Italian Navy. Also within the area of the "sickle" is the Beacon of Montorsoli, the "Lighthouse" of Messina, born to oppose the mythical whirlpool of Cariddi, is one of the oldest in Europe and stands imposing and majestic on the peninsula of San Raineri. It was built as an integral part of the defensive system, replacing the old Medieval Tower existing on the same site. The beacon has always been included in a military context and never open to the public and therefore cannot be visited. Today it is still fully operational as a lighthouse.

How To Move

The city, also given its particular conformation, can be crossed in various ways: the main means of transport to visit the city center is certainly the tram, or possibly the shuttle (it takes the same route as the tram for a good part of the city, however it allows you to get to Giampilieri and Torre Faro, which are unreachable by tram); there is also the possibility to call Taxi or if necessary you can use the car rental service provided by PISTA.

What To Eat

The cuisine of Messina is based in particular on the fish of the Strait and the seafood of Ganzirri, but it is also a very "earthy" cuisine and an absolute quality pastry, less sugary and more delicate than the rest of Sicily, with a specialization especially in ice cream and granite. Some specialties of the Messina cuisine are pasta, seasoned with fish such as the version of ‘gghiotta, or pasta‘ ncaciata, whose variants are endless. It is short pasta (generally rigatoni) boiled, seasoned with tomato sauce, stringy cheese, peas, meat, hard-boiled eggs, fried eggplant, and placed in a pan to complete baking. Chops (meat and fish) In Messina everyone knows what "chops" are. In the rest of Italy instead with this name they will propose you a cut of meat that has nothing in common with the Messina braciole. This way you will find swordfish or spatula chops, (very thin slices of fish, stuffed with stale bread flavored with pecorino, parmesan, chopped capers, garlic, parsley and oil) that can be cooked on the grill or in ghiotta sauce, but also chops of veal, pork or chicken. Desserts Among the classics, undoubtedly the cassata (sponge cake with ricotta cream, filled with sugar icing and candied fruit), pignolata (a pile of fried dough ("pigne") of various sizes covered with icing white with lemon and dark chocolate), cannoli (crispy fried waffle stuffed with traditional ricotta cream), as well as all the specialties related to festivals and celebrations during the year. Focaccia Queen of fast food in Messina is undoubtedly the focaccia, whose traditional version includes a pizza dough base stuffed with chopped tomatoes, endive (vegetables very common in Messina), tuma (local cheese) and pieces of anchovies, cooked in a pan in the oven. Arancino with sauce and the rotisserie Among the favorite "pieces" by the Messinese the "arancini al sugo" (prepared with rice and saffron with a pointed conical shape, with a filling based on meat sauce with peas, soft cheese and prosciutto or mortadella, fritti), the "pidoni" (leavened pasta preparations stuffed with scarola, cheese and anchovies, also fried), the "mozzarelle in carrozza" (loaf bread stuffed with mozzarella and béchamel, breaded and fried).