Messina with its 220,000 inhabitants is the third most important city in Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean.
What to see in Messina?
The port of Messina is the ideal starting point for a sightseeing tour in eastern Sicily. Day trips around the Strait of Messina are in fact among the most scenic in Sicily.
First and foremost, Messina itself. An excursion to Messina can in fact start from its port, which opens out into the sea like a sickle. In Greek, sickle is called Zancle, and Zancle is the ancient name of this lively city, rebuilt in a modern style after a terrible earthquake in 1908.
What to visit in Messina then?
A short walk leads from the Port of Messina to the beautiful cathedral with its high tower and its mechanical clock animated by animals and characters, which attracts many tourists and onlookers at 12 noon every day, as does the Spanish Church of the Catalans or the Regional Museum.
The port of Messina overlooks the Strait of Messina towards Calabria and the mainland. A beautiful and romantic landscape. For many years the Italian government has been proposing to build a bridge here, a debate that has always fascinated the Sicilians and all other Italians between those in favour and those against. Thanks to a ferry, it is possible in just a few minutes to cross 3 km of sea and arrive in Calabria, first in Villa San Giovanni and from there in the nearby city of Reggio and go to the museum housing the Riace Bronzes, two Greek statues found in the waters off Calabria.
From Messina, it is possible to plan a day trip, such as a short tour through the history, nature or myth of Sicily, which can take us to visit, for example, Catania, the city at the foot of Mount Etna, and Acicastello, where the legend of the Cyclops is said to be set.
From Messina, it is also possible to take a tour of a few hours to Taormina, the tourism capital of Sicily, recently the setting for the American series The White Lotus, and Castelmola, a typical Sicilian village, or discover Mount Etna, Europe's highest volcano and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Travelling along the beautiful Sicilian countryside, still within easy reach of Messina, you can reach the Alcantara river, with its impressive lava stone gorges, and along the way, with New Travel Services, you can also discover the places where Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather was shot, including characteristic villages such as Motta Camastra, Savoca or Forza d'Agrò.
Day trips departing from the port of Messina are a good way to discover the main attractions of Sicily, the Island of the Sun.
