The port town of Messina (Sicily) lives in constant traffic around the clock. The strait of the same name separates Sicily from the “toe” of the Italian boot, and navigation on the sea is raging day and night. In the vicinity of the town, the waters of the strait are raging, only complementing the title of the most restless settlement in the province.
General information about Messina
The ancient Greeks believed that these places were inhabited by the mythical creatures Charybdis and Scylla - multi-headed sea monsters. And vacationers in Messina are still prohibited from sailing far from the shore, but only because of the rough waters. Fans of active recreation will not be upset when traveling by public transport to memorable places and attractions, of which there are many in the port city and its environs.
Location
Messina, a city in Sicily, is located in the province of the same name and is the third largest on the island. Occupying the northeastern part of the region, it is washed from the west by the waters of the strait and is conveniently located in the ring of the Peloritan Mountains.
Skat Airlines - official website
To Catania - 90 km, to Palermo - 230 km.
The city center is geographically located between the San Filippo and Annunziata rivers, but is replaced by modern streets.
Messina (Sicily) - officially seaport, not a resort, because the economy is tied to trade relations. Although warships are also frequent guests at the pier of the natural bay of the Ionian Sea.
In general, Messina on the map of Sicily looks like the main transport hub connecting the island with the continent. Contacts Palermo, Syracuse, Catania and others famous cities, becoming almost the epicenter of tourist pilgrimage.
City in Italy
Weather
The warm, temperate maritime climate is favorable not only for vegetation, but also for tourists who choose Messina as a holiday destination.
The thermometer rises quite high, but the sea breeze and wind smooth out the heat, allowing you to feel quite comfortable.
The driest month is June, the wettest is December. It is warmest in August - up to +27 °C, and coldest in January - up to +12 °C.
The winter months are rainy. According to Koeppen and Geiger, climatic conditions classified as Csa.
Airports
The nearest airport to Messina is Reggio Calabria - up to 22 km.
Lamezia Terme is 99 km, and from Comiso it is 157 km.
You can get there from there by public transport or taxi.
How to get there
Messina (Sicily) is a port city. Therefore, the most convenient way to get there is by sea, namely by ship from the nearest city in continental Italy.
It is still faster to get from Reggio Calabria airport by ferry - only 5 km and half an hour, paying from 4 to 11 euros *.
From Salerno the shuttle takes 9 hours and a ticket costs between 30 and 35 euros.
Infrastructure
Sights of Messina
Today the city is famous for its port, which has always had strategic importance in the life of the settlement, and even now has not lost its importance. But besides it, there are other attractions in Messina (Sicily).
Local guides say that you can only spend one day exploring Messina, but the impressions will last a lifetime.
The main architectural highlight of the settlement are the existing cathedrals and other religious buildings, as well as ancient ruins.
Important! You can always look at the ruins, but you shouldn’t climb there alone - it’s dangerous for life.
Most of all, tourists are attracted by the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, which was built on the site of a collapsed pagan temple.
Walking through the streets of Messina, you can accidentally come across the Duomo (XII century) and the only surviving Gothic monument - the church of Via Santa Maria Aleman (XIII century). The latter was partially destroyed by earthquakes.
The Dome Cathedral
There are several more monuments to local legendary mythical figures: the source of Orion, the fountain of Neptune.
Mortelle is a favorite place beach holiday visitors. Combines the beauty of the sea and the grandeur of the mountains. It was founded by the Greeks, but now it is a favorite paradise for many inhabitants of the planet.
Excursions from the city
Sicilian shopping tours and educational excursions in and around the city are popular throughout Sicily.
Exquisite resorts and Italian cuisine will appeal to many. A large number of souvenir stalls, markets, malls and shopping centers will delight shopaholics.
The main local currency is the euro.
Popular resorts
The most popular resort in the region is also located in Messina - Taormina. It simply absorbs all tourists, amazing with its beauty and variety of recreational activities: cable car, sand and pebble beaches (Lido, Mazzaro), where you can meet world-famous stars.
The Giardini-Naxos resort is located between two capes of beaches and houses exquisite hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs.
Agata diMilitello is located on a peninsula on the Tyrrhenian Sea side and is the most distinctive: real fishermen's huts along the coast, unusual local flora and fauna.
Important! Planning family holiday, it’s better to stay on the coast - it’s calmer.
Useful information for tourists
Messina - perfect place for camping: there are places for tents with a shower and toilet, and if you wish, you can settle in comfortable bungalows with a basic set of equipment and a bathroom.
Note! Be more careful on the road – locals tend to drive temperamentally.
Taxi drivers have a price list for intercity transportation. At night you will have to add 20% to this figure.
It is always better to have a certain amount of money with you for the trip - the taxi does not stop near the ATM along the way. If the driver agrees, the surcharge will be considerable.
The natives are accustomed to eating according to a schedule according to which all restaurants and cafes operate: lunch from 12:00 to 15:00, aperitif from 17:00 to 19:00, dinner from 19:00 to 23:30.
Government institutions and shops are closed from 13:00 to 16:00 - siesta.
The last bus leaves Messina at 20:00.
Sicily is one of the safest regions of Italy - pickpocketing is extremely rare. But it is still worth observing basic measures for your own safety.
Unfortunately, only the small part confirmation of the city’s centuries-old history, but the fabulous landscapes will remain here for many decades to come.
*Prices indicated in the article are current at the time of publication of the material.
There is no dedicated cruise pier or breakwater in Messina. The liners moor along the long embankment Via Vittorio Emanuelle II. Due to the fact that the 18-deck liner stands along the central embankment right next to 5-story residential buildings, it feels like something out of a book about Gulliver in the land of Lilliputians.
The role of the cruise terminal and seaport is played by a light one-story building in the style of a checkpoint.
What should a “lazy” and unprepared cruiser do, who does not want to travel from the port to the mountains, volcanoes and neighboring towns (Taormina, etc.)?
Plan A - get around on foot central part, having previously reconnoitered the dislocation from the upper decks.
Fortunately, the cathedral is visible from everywhere.
If walking is unbearable and hot, then plan “B” - a red bus tourist with a Russian audio guide is waiting for passengers.
For those who at the last moment were inspired to travel long distances, but did not bother to rent a car or a guide with transport in advance, we are ready to serve you with a taxi (for four people) at a fixed rate on the following six routes:
1) City tour of Messina itself - 50 euros for four persons.
2) Taormina. 52 km. 120 euros.
3) Etna. 95 km. 300 euros.
4) Etna + Taormina. 110 km. 340 euros.
5) Tindari. 70 km. 140 euros.
6) Savoca. 43 km. In the footsteps of "The Godfather". Places described and filmed in the film of the same name by Francis Ford Coppola. 120 euros.
The price includes one hour of waiting for tourists near the attraction. Additional waiting costs 30 euros for each extra hour.
I didn’t know that in the port of Messina you could easily hire a taxi at a fixed rate on a fixed route.
Considering that the parking lot is short - until 16.00 - we had to worry in advance about finding a Russian-speaking guide with transport who would give us a tour of Mount Etna and the town of Taormina. As a result, we were met in Messina by Svetlana Osipova - a woman of amazing destiny, always positive and in search of novelty!
And along the way we bought local honey (of different flower varieties), red wine, olive oil and dried cherry tomatoes! How I love dried tomatoes! The first time I enjoyed them was on my first cruise in Malta.
and since then I haven’t missed the opportunity to buy them on trips in local shops.
From Messina to Mount Etna - 90 kilometers of varied road: from tunnels to highways
to mountain serpentines, some of which are covered with fog, or rather clouds.
And here we are above the clouds! Heavenly idyll! And then, finally, she appeared - ETNA! Acting, sleeping, hiding and shuddering!
We climbed so high that we saw another Sicilian port - Catania, also found on cruise routes.
Excursions to the top of Etna are possible in the summer, when the snow melts. In the off-season, tourists are limited to a site at a 2-kilometer altitude. Here are the Silvestri craters and the lower station of the cable car to Etna (it was not working for us in early April), parking for cars and buses.
We parked and the girls began to explore the bottom of the Silvestri crater. We ran down and then climbed up a steep snow-covered slope. The most extreme and memorable was the walk around the upper circle of the crater.
There are constantly strong gusts of cold wind that knock you off your feet and freeze your ears. A couple of times, to prevent the wind from blowing me off the outer cliff, I had to squat on my knees and hold on to the ground... or rather, the lava.
It's time to head back through the town of Taormina. We went down the mountain serpentines to the seaside highway. The landscape was more reminiscent of the French Riviera when we went from Monaco to Nice on our first cruise.
The views from the top viewpoints of Taormina are even more impressive. And just an hour ago we were wandering along the snowy slopes of Etna.
A nice, pleasant town with the ruins of an ancient Greek theater, cathedrals, streets, squares. Simple and patterned balconies decorated with fresh flowers, etc. and so on. The atmosphere is relaxed and leisurely...
Only in Taormina you can buy wholesale and retail a complete collection of reproductions from hundreds of postcards of the local scandalous photographer Baron Wilhelm Von Gloeden. Price: 1 postcard - 1 euro.
For the search query Wilhelm Von Gloeden, Google images will produce results that the State Duma of the Russian Federation could not have dreamed of. It is with light hand Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden Sicily gained unofficial fame in the 19th century
islands of free morals, where young men live with great dignity.
The entire aristocratic elite from mainland Europe flocked to Sicily (and Taormina in particular) for “creative inspiration.” A trail of rumors that sultry Sicilian guys are always ready to accompany single ladies and gentlemen without any problems, still attracts lovers and lovers of amorous adventures to Sicily.
By the way, the menu in many Taormina cafes is written in Russian as well.
Well, it's a record! At 15.30 we were back on board. The sprint blitz trip to Etna with a stop on the way back to Taormina was a success.
But advice to fellow cruisers. If the stay is so short, then choose only one direction for the excursion - either Etna or Taormina or Messina itself.
Sicily is so common on cruise routes that you will definitely visit it again.
And so we sail from Messina through the Strait of Messina. One of the narrow straits in Europe is only 3 kilometers wide.
Messina has long been famous for its secrets, riddles, and unusual phenomena. The ancient Greeks knew about its attractions. Who doesn’t know about the ancient sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, who destroyed sailors sailing through the waters of the Strait of Messina? More dangerous was Charybdis, which was a powerful whirlpool. And it was she who lived near Cape Pelor, where Messina later appeared.
Local residents have also witnessed unusual phenomena more than once. Here, on the coast of the strait, the Messinians saw more than one miracle. On certain days, before the amazed glances of the townspeople, he appeared in the water. undersea world King Arthur's sisters, the fairies Morgana. Accordingly, that is why the phenomenon was called Fata morgana. As it later turned out, a complex optical illusion was to blame for the miraculous vision. Thanks to him, on a sultry and hot sunny day, the shore of mainland Italy was displayed in the water.
Where is
Messina is a city located on Sicilia, the largest island Mediterranean Sea(mar Mediterraneo). He is administrative center province of the same name, Provincia di Messina.
Messina is located in the northeast of Sicily, on the western coast of the Strait of Messina (Stretto di Messina), which separates the island from mainland Italy. On geographical map Messina can be found at the following coordinates: 38°11′ north latitude, 15°33′ east longitude.
Messina is located in a seismically active zone, as it is located at the junction of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Therefore, the earth often shakes here, which often leads to catastrophic consequences. Thus, the earthquake that happened on the morning of December 28, 1908, and the subsequent tsunami, completely destroyed the city, causing the death of 60 thousand people. However, only two buildings survived completely: mental hospital and prison. This is why many attractions, although they have ancient origin, actually go back a little over a hundred years. They were restored, however, according to sketches of destroyed buildings.
Not far from the city there is an active one (L’Etna), which for one and a half hundred years completely destroys the villages located near it. This, however, does not stop local residents from settling on its slopes, since the soil here is fertile.
Experienced tourists recommend getting to Sicily from the Italian mainland through the Strait of Messina. Scylla and Charybdis, who in former times destroyed sailors passing here, no longer live here, so the ships, successfully avoiding dangerous whirlpools, successfully reach the port of Messina and drop anchor in the huge port. From here it is close to the main attractions.
The area of Messina is 211 km², and the center covers an area of 10 km. The city stretches for 30 km along the coast of the Strait of Messina, and is limited on land by the Peloritani Mountains. The population is about 150 thousand people.
Hotels
In Messina there are 7 hotels with four stars, 4 with three, and also a lot of hotels that have no stars at all. When choosing a hotel, it is advisable to pay attention not only to prices and conditions, but also to the language spoken by the staff. Usually hotel employees speak English in addition to Italian. If you don’t know these languages, you should definitely take an electronic translator with you on the road: it will make life much easier.
In all hotels, the rooms have air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, satellite TV. If necessary, staff will help organize a tour.
You can choose the most suitable option for yourself in terms of price and conditions at www.booking.com.
4 stars
4-star hotels in Messina are inexpensive compared to hotels of this class in other countries historical cities Italy. Before booking, please check whether breakfast is included in your bill. If this is not the case, you will have to pay extra. Parking in all hotels is paid.
If you are traveling with pets, you must first find out whether the hotel provides this opportunity. Pets are allowed for an additional fee in hotels such as Hotel Royal Palace, Europa Palace Hotel, Hotel S. Elia.
The hotel is considered one of the best. It is located on one of the main streets, Viale Europa, 59. The cathedral is located 1.5 km from it, the port is a nine-minute walk.
The hotel has ten rooms. For single apartments you need to pay 120-140 €, for double apartments – from 135 to 180 €. Children under 2 years old are accommodated in cots free of charge; children under 12 years old must pay 20 €. Pets are not allowed.
The hotel has an elevator, a terrace on fresh air. By prior arrangement, breakfast can be included in the price. Here you can order food to your room or eat in a restaurant. The apartments have a safe and a work area. Smoking is not allowed on the premises of the complex.
A shuttle service from/to Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, 108 km away, is available at an additional cost.
Located at Via Faranda, 7. The beach can be reached in thirteen minutes on foot, and the port in ten minutes. The cathedral is located at a distance of 750 m, the university - 200 m.
The hotel has eighteen rooms. Single apartments cost 120 €, double apartments – 140-160 €. Children under 2 years old are provided with cots free of charge; children under 12 years old must pay an additional 15 € per night. You can order a nanny. Facilities for disabled people are provided. Pets are not allowed.
The hotel's restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine, and breakfast can be ordered to your room. The rooms have a minibar, and some rooms have a balcony. The hotel offers luggage storage. It is possible to rent a bicycle. You can order a transfer from/to the airport.
The hotel is located at Viale Annunziata 91/A. The beach is a seven-minute walk, 2 km from the port, the railway station is 2.5 km. The hotel complex has been recently renovated.
There are 25 rooms in total. Single apartments will cost 60-70 €, double apartments – 70-90 €. For a child under 2 years old you need to pay 10 € per night. A place for an older child or an extra bed for adults will cost 20 €. Animals are not allowed.
The apartments include a kitchenette and seating area. Breakfast can be ordered to your room. The hotel has a snack bar and vending machines with drinks and snacks.
3 stars
Prices in three-star hotels, although slightly different from higher-class hotels, are still cheaper. They usually do not have restaurants, but they may have a bar. Many hotels have a kitchen, which can be used for a fee. Some hotels have vending machines for snacks and drinks. However, breakfast including pastries and hot drinks is served in your room.
Located at Via Felice Bisazza, 89. The cathedral is 900 m from it, the railway station is 1.5 km, the main building of the university is a short walk away. Parking is free.
The hotel has thirteen rooms. To spend a night in a single apartment you need to pay 70 €, in a double apartment – 85 €. A room for three people will cost 120 €. There is a possibility to cancel your reservation free of charge; no prepayment is required. Accommodation for a child under three years old is provided free of charge, for children under 18 years old – 20 € per night. Facilities for disabled people are provided.
Near the complex there is a garden, a terrace, some rooms have a balcony. There are many restaurants and bars in the surrounding area. Smoking is prohibited on the premises. Pets are not allowed here.
Located in a historic building at Via XXVII Luglio, 115. The Cathedral is a ten-minute walk away.
The hotel has 34 rooms. A single room costs 75 € per night, a double room is a couple of euros more expensive. Children under two years old can stay free of charge; older children must pay 20 € per night. It is possible to order connecting rooms. Pets are allowed for an additional fee. You also have to pay for Wi-Fi.
There is a snack bar on site. It is possible to order a transfer from/to the airport. Paid parking is available near the hotel. Smoking is prohibited in the complex.
The cheapest three-star hotel is considered to be located at Via Nicola Scotto, 17. For a single room here you need to pay from 33 to 40 € per night, a double room - from 40 to 50. Triple apartments will cost 55-70 €, four-bed apartments - 65-80 €.
Extra beds are not available, but children under five years old can stay free of charge. Pets are not allowed here. There is a bar at the hotel WIFI free. Public parking nearby, paid.
The hotel is located near the railway station, a ten-minute walk from the harbour. The Cathedral is located a kilometer from the hotel.
Apartments
If you don’t find a suitable option among the hotels, it doesn’t matter: you can rent an apartment. There are a lot of options on our website, and one of them will certainly suit you.
Gioia's House
By plane
There is no airport near Messina, so you have to make transfers to get there. There are two on the island major airports: to Palermo and Catania. From here you can get to Messina by bus, train or by ordering a transfer on the website kiwitaxi.ru.
The closest airport is Catania Fontanarossa Airport. It is separated from Messina by 90 km. Official website – www.aeroporto.catania.it. From the airport to Messina you can get:
- Take bus No. 457 to the railway station, from there take the train;
- A bus departs from the airport once an hour to Messina. He makes six stops along the way;
- Order a transfer. The taxi will take you directly to the hotel or any other chosen location.
Having arrived at Palermo airport, you first need to take a bus to Palerma railway station, which is located at a distance of 27 km (travel time 50 minutes). You then need to take the train, which leaves for Messina every two hours, for three to five hours. The schedule is as follows (may change, so it is better to check before your trip on the website www.palermocentrale.it):
- 12:50 – 16:20;
- 14:27 – 17:10;
- 15:32 – 20:45;
- 15:32 – 18:22;
- 19:27– 20:45;
- 18:27 – 21:07;
- 18:30 – 21:55.
Another airport is located on the Italian mainland. Near Reggio Calabria is L'Aeroporto di Reggio Calabria, known as Aeroporto dello Stretto. More details about his work here: www.aeroportoreggiocalabria.it. After arriving in Reggio Calabria, you need to get to the port and take the ferry to Messina.
By train
Despite the fact that Messina's central train station (Stazione Messina Centrale) is located on an island, it is connected to major cities not only in Sicily, but also in mainland Italy. For example, you can get here from Rome, but in this case the train is loaded onto a ferry at Villa San Giovanni and transported to the island using this method.
Messina Central Station is located in Piazza della Repubblica. There is also a station in the port called Stazione di Messina Marittima and is located at the ferry pier. The distance between them is about 400 meters (that's a 5-minute walk). The timetable for trains departing from Messina train station can be found at the following link: www.e656.net.
By bus
The Messina bus station is located near the Central Station, at Piazza della Repubblica, 13. From here you can travel by bus to many Sicilian cities. They are connected to each other by buses from Piazza della Repubblica, 13 (www.saisautolinee.it).
You can also come here by bus from mainland Italy. For example, from Rome the journey takes 10 hours 20 minutes, from (Firenze) – 15 hours. But here you need to be prepared for the fact that the ferry cannot be avoided.
It was founded by the Greeks in 756 BC, then it was called Zancle.
In 264 BC. the city was conquered by the Romans, and when the Roman Empire fell, it became part of the Byzantine Empire.
In 1060 Messina conquered by the Normans.
In 1860 it became part of the United Italy.
In 1908 it happened strong earthquake which destroyed Messina, claimed several thousand lives and lowered the coastline by 26 inches.
Starts not far from the train station via Primo Settembre, let's go along this street until it intersects with via Sant'Elia. Here it is Church of Maria degli Alemanni. It was built in the 12th century. In 1571, after the Battle of Lepanto, the wounded Cervantes was kept in this church. During the earthquake in 1783, the church was severely destroyed and was used for a long time like a store. The 1908 earthquake spared the ruins, which can still be seen today.
Let's cross the busy via Giuseppe Garibaldi and on a small piazza Santa Caterina Valverde located Church of St. Caterina Valverde. It was erected in 1926-1929. The church has been restored several times.
Church of Saint Catherine Valverde
Further on via del Vespro And via Cesare Battisti before Church of Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani (piazzetta Lepanto), which dates back to the XII-XIII centuries. The church takes its name from the brotherhood of Catalan merchants. The church combined Byzantine, Romanesque, Arabic and Norman styles. Due to earthquakes, the church partially sank and became lower.
In front of the church is a statue of John of Austria, the admiral who defeated the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Very close to this church is Cathedral of the Protometropolitana (Basilica Cattedrale Protometropolitana), dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, the cathedral was erected in the 12th century. But it was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1908.
The world's largest astronomical clock is located in the cathedral's bell tower. The bell tower is about 90 meters high (the second largest bell tower (after the Bell Tower of San Pietro in Rome), decorated with golden figures. When the clock strikes 12, the figures perform a dance performance.
Erected in front of the Cathedral Orion fountain. The baroque fountain was created in the 15th century. Giovanni Angello Montorsoli. The figures decorating the fountain symbolize the Tiber, Nile, Ebro and Camaro rivers. By the way, it is Camaro that supplies the fountain with water.
Not far from the Cathedral is Palazzo Municipale. In front of the building - Messina statue, which was established as a token of gratitude to Ferdinand II of Bourbon for the right to duty-free import and export of goods in 1859. Initially, the statue stood in the Municipality building, now in the square in front of the building.
Let's go along via Consolato di Mare on piazza Antonelia located Vittorio Emmanuel gallery.
We continue our way along via Sant'Agostino. Let's rise to Sanctuary of Christ (Sacrario Cristo Re), built on the ruins of the Matangrifone castle, designed by Giovan Batista Malani in 1937.
The third largest bell in Italy is located here. The sanctuary dominates the entire city and offers a magnificent view of the city, the bay and the golden Madonna of the port.
On the other side there is a view of Temple of the Madonna di Montalto. The temple was severely damaged during the earthquake, but survived and was restored in 1930.
Let's go down from the Sanctuary of Christ in the other direction. Let's cross Viale Boccetta and let's go up to Churches of Pompeii (chiesa di Pompei).
The Church of Pompeii was built in 1888 by Capuchin monks. During the earthquake of 1908 it was destroyed and restored in 1909. The church is located on the Oliveto hill, which overlooks the city, the bay and the Sanctuary of Christ.
Next we will return to Viale Boccetta, here it is Church of St. Francis of Assisi (S. Francesco D’Assisi), built in the 13th century and is the second most important church in the city. The church was built in 1254 by the Franciscans. Afterwards the church was restored after many earthquakes.
Let's turn parallel Via San Giovanni di Malta, located here Church of San Giovanni di Malta works by Giacomo del Duca, a student of the great Michelangelo. The church was rebuilt several times. In 1925, the temple was rebuilt again, and very little remains of the original church.
Let's go out to the embankment. is the largest port of Sicily, and the whole life of the city is subordinated to the port and the arrival of large cruise ships. Ships usually enter Messina In the morning, life begins to boil: taxi drivers are rushing to the port, cafes and restaurants are inviting tourists, buses are lined up along the embankment, and guides are waiting for their groups. In the evening, the liners sail away and life freezes until dawn. The sunrise on the embankment is especially beautiful...
It was built in 1557 by Giovanni Angelo Montorosoli. There is a copy on the square; the original is kept in the regional museum.
Church of San Giuliano (piazza Vittoria) was built in 1928. The architecture of the church is Arabic.
There are also exhibition buildings along the embankment.
Church of St. Luke (San Luca) (via Palermo) in Romanesque style was built in 1926.
Cuisine of Messina:
Swordfish, mussels, tuna, mackerel or mackerel.
Braciole - thin chops rolled into rolls and stuffed with cheese, parsley and garlic and threaded onto skewers.
Falsomagro – stuffed meatloaf with an egg inside.
Arancini - rice cakes filled with meat stew or butter.
Messina in Italy is the “sea gate” of Sicily: the most important port connecting the island with the mainland is located here. At the same time, Messina is ancient city with a colorful history, its own traditions and impressive sights. Among them, numerous temples stand out: the massive Cathedral in the Norman style (1150) with a giant clock on the tower and a rich treasury, the Church of Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani, appearance which harmoniously combines Arabic and European motifs, the majestic Church of St. Mary of Alemanna in the Gothic style, the Church of Pompeii, etc.
In addition, Messina has a medieval fort, several palaces (University Palace, Zanca Palace, Piacentini Palace, etc.), museums and galleries (the most famous is the Regional Museum), ancient squares, fountains and monuments, parks - all this definitely deserves attention tourists.
It is convenient to navigate the city center on foot. You can get to attractions remote from the center by bus or tram, and for those who want to explore the outskirts of the city, you can use the services of a taxi or excursion bureau.
Business card
The city of Messina in Italy was founded by Greek colonists in 730 BC. e. on the site of an older settlement. And the Strait of Messina was immortalized in ancient greek mythology: it was here that Scylla and Charybdis were located - sea monsters that absorbed everyone who tried to swim between them.
Entertainment and active recreation
There are no beaches within the city, but fans of beach holidays and water activities can reach Mortelle Beach in 15-20 minutes. Parco Avventura Dei Peloritani with hiking trails is 40 km away. picturesque lake and a rope town.
In Messina itself there are tennis courts, fitness rooms, swimming pools and saunas. You can also find spas, shops, concert and exhibition venues, nightclubs (Flexus Disco Club, Gli Antenati Pub, etc.) here. In July and August, an open-air music festival is held in Piazza Duomo.
Local cuisine and wines
Messina's restaurants are famous for their fresh fish and seafood dishes, specialties of Sicilian cuisine, considered one of the best in Italy, and excellent Sicilian wines. In addition, there are many pizzerias, cafes with excellent pastries, gelaterias, sandwich bars, pubs, sushi bars, etc.
Where to stay
Most hotels in Messina are classified as 3-4 stars. The most popular are beach hotels located on the coast on the outskirts and outside of Messina. In the city center there are hotels for independent and business tourists, for those traveling on excursion tours - comfortable, cozy and with a set of all necessary services. Tourists also have the opportunity to stay in an apartment, a separate villa or on a farm in the surrounding area.
