What to see in Messina

Cathedral of Messina

History tells us that in 1198, in the place where the Cathedral is now, there once was a church dedicated to the Virgin by Queen Constance. The church was almost completely destroyed by a fire during the funeral of king Conrad IV of Germany;...

Orion Fountain

Considered by the art historian Bernhard Berenson as “the most beautiful fountain of the European 16th century,” the pyramidal fountain raises up in Piazza Duomo, and it is dedicated to Orion, who, according to one of the legends of the city, was...

Castle of St. Savior - Madonna of the Letter

At the end of the sickle-shaped port of Messina, there is Forte San Salvatore. In this place, thanks to its strategic importance, have always been military constructions to defend the city. At first the Normans in 1081 built a defensive tower (S....

Neptune Fountain

It is one of the few remaining historical artworks after the earthquake of 1908. The monument, now in front of the Government Building, overlooks the marina and symbolizes the blessings bestowed upon the city by Neptune, god of the seas, who...

Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani

A small jewel of Sicilian medieval art, the church was founded in the 12th century with the name of Santa Maria di Castellammare. The building, that shows Byzantine, Romanesque, Arabian and Norman lines, was probably damaged by an earthquake that...

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montalto

The building dominates the city from the top of the hill. It raises up on  Caperrina Hill, famous for the Sicilian Vespers resistance against the Angevins that started here in 1282. The legend says that once—during a hard battle against the...

Church of Santa Maria Alemanna

It was built in 1220 by Frederic II of Swabia and was given to the Teutonic order to create a base and a place where they could stop during their ventures to the Holy Land. When the Knights of the Teutonic Order retreated from Sicily, the...

Monumental Cemetery

The monumental cemetery of Messina, also called Gran Camposanto, is the main cemetery of the city. It is easy to reach it on foot or by tram by just going along Viale San Martino, in the heart of the city. It is next to Villa Dante (the biggest...

Regional Museum

Opened in 1914 using the collections of the Museo Civico dei Peloritani, it is situated in Viale della Libertà, in front of the tram north station. It occupies some buildings once belonging to the textile factory Melinghoff, in an area where...

Shrine of Christ the King

The modern building, situated in Viale Principe Umberto, is an imposing octagonal building with a high dome. At its base, there are eight bronze statues made by Teofilo Raggio depicting the four cardinal virtues, the three theological virtues and...

Palazzo Zanca (Town Hall) & Antiquarium

Monument to Don Giovanni d'Austria

The monument, dedicated to the admiral John of Austria, illegitimate son of Charles V, was commissioned by the Senate in 1572. The work was sculptured to celebrate the triumph of the Holy League during the battle of Lepanto, the year before,...

Senator Fountain

Next to the Municipality, there is the Fontana Senatoria. The fountain consists of a circular basin located above three cement steps were stands the original part of the monument: a stele on which a marble cup raises with a pinecone in the...

Falconieri Fountain

The Four Fountains

Designed by the architect Giacomo Calcagni to decorate the four corners of the crossroad between Via Austria (today Via I Settembre) and Via Cardines, the Quattro Fontane were constructed and positioned in four different corners. In 1666 the...

Gennaro Fountain

Like many of the city’s fountains, the Fontana dell’Acquario (also called “di Gennaro”) was commissioned by some senators: Stagno d'Alcontres, Ventimiglia, Arena, Del Pozzo, Aquilone and Adornetto. Their names were carved in a plaque destroyed...

Botanical Garden Pietro Castelli

It was founded in 1638 (with the name of Giardino dei Semplici), with an ordinance of the University of Messina, by Pietro Castelli: he was from Rome, pupil of the famous scientist Cesalpino, teacher of philosophy and medicine at the...

Museum & Church of St. John of Malta

Just like the majority of the churches and art works of Messina, the church of St. John of Malta also suffered damages and transformations because of the earthquakes. What we can now admire is only part of the ancient building. 

The church...

Palace Calapaj-D'Alcontres

The building that lies next to the Cathedral is one of the buildings that was not destroyed by the earthquake of 1908. It is dated back to the second half of the 17th century and belongs to a well-known noble family. Designed by an unknown...

Badiazza - Church of Santa Maria della Valle

The church of Santa Maria della Valle, also called Santa Maria della Scala, is known under the name of “Badiazza,” and was probably built during the 11th century in the Badiazza dried up riverbed of a stream that gives its name to the church. The...

Statue of Grateful Messina

Made of white marble, also known as Allegoria di Messina, the statue was made in 1852 by Giuseppe Prinzi and named Messina Riconoscente pel benefizio del portofranco (Messina that says thanks for the benefit of the free port) in order to...

Statue of the Immaculate Conception

In the square know as Pope John XXIII, also called “Immacolata di Marmo,” next to the entrance to the Cathedral of Messina, it is possible to admire a white marble statue made in 1758 by Ignazio Buceti and dedicated to the Immaculate...

Statue of Charles III of Bourbon

In front of the wonderful building of the Chamber of Commerce, there is the statue dedicated to Charles III of Bourbon. The king came to the city in March 1735 and stayed here for about two months; then he came to Palermo, where on the 30th of...

Pigna Fountain

Built during the 18th century by local artisans, it is said that it was originally placed in the inner yard of the ancient archiepiscopal seminary. After the earthquake of 1908, the fountain, till 1988, was placed at the middle of Viale Boccetta...

Municipal Aquarium

Inside the park of Villa Mazzini is the City Aquarium, built at the beginning of the 60s by the Thalassographic Institute of Messina (it represents, together with the aquarium of Naples, the only scientific structure of this kind in Southern...

Villa Giuseppe Mazzini

Situated where at one time was the spectacular “Piano di San Giovanni” square, Villa Mazzini rises in a place where in the Roman period there once was a necropolis. In ancient times, the square was embellished by a big basin that was used as a...

Sea Promenade

From Piazza Unità d’Italia the so-called passeggiata a mare begins. From here it is possible to enjoy a wonderful view of the Straits and the port. In 1993, under the breakwater bridge, a marina was built. Further ahead it is possible to admire a...

Co-Cathedral Church of the Holy Savior

Until 1883 Messina hosted two different religious institutions: the episcopal Archdiocese and the Basilian Archimandritate with two different religious chiefs, the archbishop and the archimandrite. After the Italian unification, the two titles...

Basilica-Sanctuary of Sant'Antonio da Padova

The sanctuary stands in the place of the ancient Avignone quarter where Sant’Annibale Maria di Francia, one of the patron saints of Messina, in 1878, started his mission for the poor and needy. After the earthquake of 1908, pope St. Pius X gave...

Church of St. Francis of the Immaculate

Also known as the church of Immacolata, it is the second biggest church after the Cathedral of Messina. Founded in 1254, it is in Viale Boccetta. 

The church was reconstructed several times. In 1884, the building was destroyed by a big...

Church of Santa Maria del Carmine

It has a Greek cross plan and it is better known as Carmelo church. Finished in 1931, it was committed to Carmelites that in Messina boast their presence for centuries. It has the 18th century style typical of the pre–earthquake period of 1908....

Cast Iron Fountain

Among the works that adorned the nineteenth-century Umberto I Seaside Garden, a Chalet dedicated to the sovereign and immersed in greenery, remains the Cast Iron Fountain located in front of the secondary entrance to the Fiera Campionaria, on...

Church of St. Thomas the Old

Recently restored and open to the public, the church of St. Thomas is at the back of one of the most important streets of the city centre, Corso Cavour. 

The construction and history of this church are unconfirmed, but because of its...

Gallery Vittorio Emanuele III

Palazzo Cerruti - Bisazza

Designed by the architect Gino Coppedè, it is in eclectic style with some art-nouveau reference. It is in the old town centre, and it frames the ancient Catalani church and the statue of John of Austria. It has the Star of David inserted into the...

Archbishop's Palace

It is located on via I Settembre. It was rebuilt in 1924 and designed by Ing. Fleres, following the new town-planning scheme of 1914. According to some sources, its origins go back to the period before the Saracens. Next to it there once was a...

Palace of Justice (Piacentini Palace)

The courthouse of Messina takes its name from its architect, Marcello Piacentini, who designed it in 1912. The building of the courthouse was suspended and not opened until 1928, because of the outbreak of First World War. The original design was...

Government Palace

Designed by the world famous architect Cesare Bazzani, who registered the final design in 1913, the building was constructed in only two years by the cooperative of Ravenna. 

The building is an example of the Art Nouveau style. It has a...

Province Palace (Palace of the Lions)

Seat of the former Provincial Administration of Messina, it is located in Piazza Antonello. It is one of the most interesting public buildings from an architectonical point of view, after the earthquake of 1908.
  The construction, designed by...

Church Ex-Basilian Monastery of Santa Maria di Mili

It was built in 1092 by Roger of Altavilla, in a location where there had been, in 1090, a cenoby, probably during the Byzantine period, and it was given to the Basilian monks. In 1092, in the church sacristy, Count Roger had his son Jordan, who...