Sights in Messina
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Cathedral
The Norman cathedral is one of the most attractive in Sicily despite having been stricken by one disaster after another. Built in 1150, it suffered its first mishap in 1254 at the funeral of Conrad IV (son of Frederick II), when a mass of candles set the church on fire. Devastating earthquakes in 1783 and 1908, and a WWII incendiary bomb in 1943, put paid to the rest. True to their patrician nature, the Messinese rebuilt it faithfully in the style of the original basilica, complete with its mosaic apses. The lovely stripy marble inlay, the tracery of the facade and the Catalan-Gothic portal with its sculpted columns are some of the few original elements that were salvaged…
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Treasury
Several treasures, such as the magnificent Golden Mantle (1668) designed by Innocenzo Mangani as a 'cloak' for the picture of La Madonna della Lettera (The Madonna of the Letter) that now sits on the altar, are kept in the Piazza del Duomo's treasury. The letter the Madonna is supposed to have written was a blessing on the city of Messina, which suffered a terrible famine after converting to Christianity in AD 42.
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Fontana di Orione
The pale marble Fontana di Orione (1553) depicts a lounging Orion, the mythical founder of Messina. The fountain was constructed by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (pupil to Michelangelo) to commemorate the construction of Messina's aqueduct - the city's houses were the first in Sicily to receive running water. The figures that adorn it represent the Rivers Tiber, Nile, Ebro and Camaro.
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Piazza del Duomo
The 60m campanile houses the world's largest astronomical clock, built in Strasbourg in 1733. The clock strikes at noon, setting in motion a slow-moving procession of bronze automata that have various historical and allegorical meanings (pick up the brochure from the tourist office for an explanation of each one) - watch out for the comical roaring lion and crowing cockerel.
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Campanile
The elegant campanile houses the world’s largest astronomical clock. It strikes at noon, setting in motion a procession of slow-moving bronze automata that set off a comical roaring lion and crowing cockerel. You can climb the bell tower and see the enormous figures up close and personal.
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Museo Regionale
The Museo Regionale houses works of art including the Virgin and Child with Saints by Antonello da Messina (born here in 1430) and two masterpieces by Caravaggio – L’Adorazione dei pastori and Resurrezione di Lazzaro.
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Fontana del Nettuno
Where Via Garibaldi spills into Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, is one of Messina's great fountains, the 16th-century Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune's Fountain) by Montorsoli. The figures are actually copies: the originals are housed in the museum.
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Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani
The 12th-century Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani is a jewel of Arab-Norman construction. The statue in front of it is a monument to Don John of Austria, who beat the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
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Madonnino del Porto
Opposite the Fontana del Nettuno is Piazzale Batteria Masotto where you can enjoy views over the harbour and admire the huge golden statue of the Madonnino del Porto.
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