Messina

Messina is a town positioned to the western end of the Sicily. It is inhabited by 250,000 people. Its history is very rich in events as it was founded by the Greeks, then it was an object for several disputes between the Greeks and the Romans and it was conquered by Byzantine, Norman and Suevi people. What is more, it had to deal with two violent earthquakes occurred in 1783 and 1908.

Many artists and intellectuals were born or lived in Messina, such as the architect Filippo Juvarra, the painter Antonello da Messina and the philosopher Dicaearchus.

Walking around the little, cozy streets of Messina may constitute a memorable experience. The proximity of ancient palaces makes visitors feel all the grandeur of this location. Moreover, the centre is rich in lovely stores and picturesque restaurants run by families.

Messina is not a common touristic destination. Despite that, numerous visitors arrive ther during the summer especially because of the fact that it is a popular destination to people who need to leave the island and go to the rest of Italy. The town of Messina has a very busy port which is only 15 km away from Reggio Calabria and 10 km away from Villa San Giovanni which are positioned in the mainland. Each day lots of ferries arrive and depart from the island.

The main touristic sights are: the Cathedral, the church dedicated to San Francesco d'Assisi, the church of San Giovanni di Malta, the well-endowed Museo Nazionale and the Fountain of Orion by Montorsoli.

The Cathedral was severely damaged by the earthquake that occured in 1908, so it was rebuilt in the last century and the only remaning Norman element is the apse decorated with lovely mosaics. The tomb of King Conrad is situated in the Cathedral.

One symbol of the town of Messina is the Fountain of Orion (Fontana di Orione in Italian). Created by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, Michelangelo's pupil, the fountain has a dodecagon base, some inlays made of white and black marble and four statues depicting Tevere, Nilo, Ebro and Camaro rivers.

If visitors have enough time to get around, it would be really interesting for them to visit the town of Taormina which is only 50 km away. Taormina is renowned for its Ancient Theater. Even though similar buildings are located in various parts of Italy, no outdoor theater has similar colors or atmosphere and nowhere else can visitors experience similar feeling as those they can feel at this specific place.

The Ancient Theater is a bizarre architecture, it was probably built by Romans –this conclusion has been based on the material used for its construction- although the architectural style and arrangement are typically Greek. This factor led archaeologists to the assumption that the theater was built in the same place where a previous Greek building was positioned. Though some architectural elements, such as the seats, have disappeared, others like the porch, the parascenia and many marble columns are completely intact. Nowadays, the Ancient Theater houses various events such as the prize-giving of David di Donatello and the Taormina Film Fest.

Any type of visitors will be completely satisfied by the location of most hotels in Messina, usually the ones located near the main sights, the Central Station and the port. All hotels are furnished with tastefully, with elegance and sobriety.