Towns and cities in Sicily
Messina Travel Guide
Scylla, one of the monsters that almost ended Odysseus’ fated voyage, inhabits its coastline; Shakespeare chose it as the setting for Much Ado About Nothing; St Ignatius Loyola founded the world’s first Jesuit college there; and Cervantes spent some time in the town’s hospital recovering after the Battle of Lepanto (possibly dreaming up Don Quixote). Welcome to Messina, the gateway to Sicily!
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About the town
The early history of Messina reads much like that of many other towns in Sicily: Greek settlement, Roman domination, Byzantine invasion, Arab subjugation and Norman occupation. It's more recent history, is one of tragic disaster after tragic disaster: in 1743 nearly 50,000 inhabitants died in the plague; 40 years later an earthquake struck, destroying most of the town; on December 28th 1908, another earthquake, combined with a tsunami, once more laid the town to waste, killing over 60,000 people; the last blow came in 1943 during the 2nd World War, when the city suffered significant bombing and thousands lost their lives.
Things to do in Messina
- Visit the cathedral and its astronomical clock: rebuilt from scratch in Romanesque-Gothic style after the 1906 earthquake the cathedral is a tribute to the city's long past. Aim to be outside at 12pm when the astronomical clock (said to be the largest in the world) puts on a performance with moving statues and music.
- Head to the mountains: climbing high above Messina are the lesser-visited Peloritani Mountains. Apart from gorgeous woods and excellent walking, the views over the Straits of Messina and down towards Mount Etna are absolutely captivating.
- Take a ferry to Calabria: the ferry crossing from Messina to Villa San Giovanni takes just 15 minutes. It's then just a 15-minute drive or train-ride down to Reggio Calabria, home to the remarkable Bronzi di Riace, a pair of life-size, bronze Greek statues of warriors dating back to the 5th-century BCE.
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