Messina

La Madonnina del Porto (Pass By)

The Madonna della Lettera, that blesses the city, is the first element one sees when entering the port of Messina. Commissioned by the Archbishop of Messina, the statue is the work of Tore Edmondo Calabrò.

-Annunziata dei Catalani Church

The Catalani church is in fact a metaphysical place of history, a place where you can see how different religions, disasters and types of architecture formed, not only this church, but the city where it was built.

-Campanile del Duomo di Messina

The bell tower of the Cathedral of Messina contains one of the biggest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clocks in the world. Designed by the firm Ungerer of Strasbourg it was inaugurated in 1933 and it is one of the city’s main attractions.

-Cathedral of Messina

Built during Norman time, its history has been turbulent and it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries.

-Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III

It was built in the circular Piazza Antonello and designed by the architect Camillo Puglisi Allegra to create an important residential and commercial hub in the heart of the city.

Tempio Votivo di Cristo Re

One of the speaking symbols of Messina, the Temple-Shrine dedicated to “Christ the King” dominates the city and is the monument that travellers see at a distance from the sea, emerging on a hill where the Greek acropolis was supposedly located.

-Santuario della Madonna di Montalto

Our Lady of Montalto was founded in 1294.The sanctuary was completely destroyed by the catastrophic earthquake of 1908 and subsequently rebuilt. Some of the best views of the city come from their amazing terrace.

-Palazzo Zanca

The Municipality of Messina´s headquarters, takes its name from its designer, the architect Antonio Zanca. In 1914, exactly six years after the terrible earthquake of 1908, the first stone of the new Town Hall was laid.

-Fontana di Orione

Built in 1553, this pale marble fontana depicts Orion, the mythical founder of Messina. The fountain was constructed by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (pupil of Michelangelo) to commemorate the construction of Messina’s aqueduct.

-Chiesa di San Nicolo/Santa Lucia

The church was built in the 13th century and originally decorated with Byzantine frescoes from that time. Damaged by the 1908 earthquake, further restoration took place. The last restoration was in 1981. The churchyard was the site of some scenes for “The Godfather.”

-Bar Vitelli

One of the most prosperous branches of the Trimarchi family was the one that settled in Savoca at the end of the 14th century and the owner of the Palazzo were this bar is. They were, for centuries, at the centre of political, administrative, ecclesiastical and economic life of Savoca. Even before its fame for the scenes from “The Godfather” filmed in the place, when it wasn’t yet called Vitelli, this bar was known for its delicious lemon granita with “zuccarate”, a typical local biscuit.

-Convento dei Cappuccini

The Capuchin friars founded their first convent in 1574. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, this site had to be abandoned, as it was extremely subject to landslides. The current convent was built between 1603 and 1614 and it had great cultural importance in the context of Savoca society.