Things To Do in Messina
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Messina Attractions
As you wander around Messina, you'll come to the ruins of the church of Santa Maria Alemanna, built in 1220 by the crusading Teutonic Knights. The church -- or what's left of it -- stands at the corner of Via dei Mille, off Corso Garibaldi, directly north of Via del Vespiro and to the immediate west of Piazza Cavallotti. It's one of the few Gothic churches on the island, as the Gothic style of architecture never swept Sicily the way it did other parts of Europe. The Messinese seemed to dislike the style, and the unfinished church was left abandoned in the 15th century.
- Religious Site
Chiesa SS. Annunziata dei Catalani
When the Messinese saw their beloved church on this square after the 1908 earthquake, they called it a miracle. The earthquake stripped away much of the latter-day alterations and additions to the church, leaving its original 12th- and 13th-century architectural style intact. But… - Religious Site
Duomo
This Romanesque and Norman cathedral has had a rough time of it since Roger II ordered it built in 1160. Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, attended its consecration in 1197. The 1908 quake and a 1943 Allied firebombing didn't help. The cathedral has more or less been reconstructed… - Landmark
Fontana di Nettuno
This landmark fountain stands on the seafront, at the intersection of Via della Libertà and Via Garibaldi. It's a reconstruction of the heavily damaged fountain created by Montorsoli in 1557. The original of the muscular marble god has been in the Museo Regionale ever since the… - Landmark
Fontana di Orione
Standing in the center of the cathedral square, Piazza del Duomo, this elegant fountain was the prebaroque creation of Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli in 1547. It honors Orion, the city's mythical founder, who is seen surmounting a bevy of giants, nymphs, and crocodile-wrestling putti… - Landmark
Orologio Astronomico
The Duomo is upstaged by its 60m (197-ft.) campanile, or bell tower, with its astronomical clock standing to the left of the cathedral facade. Created in 1933 in Strasbourg, France, the clock puts on "the show of shows" at noon every day. With Schubert's Ave Maria scraping away on a…
Messina Nightlife
If you're here in July or August, head for Piazza del Duomo, the central cathedral square where free concerts devoted to rock, jazz, or classical music are presented. Posters advertise cultural events, and the tourist office will have details.
