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| We were treated with several nights of incredible full moons. Beth took this picture while lying in bed as we sailed towards Messina….. |
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| A few hours later as we approached the Messina port and the moon was setting behind Sicily. |
Because of its boot shape Italy is an easy country to identify. If you find Italy, it’s easy to find Sicily. It’s being kicked by Italy. The closest point between Sicily and Italy is less than three miles across the Straits of Messina. There has been ongoing discussions for years about building a bridge across the straits, but at this point nothing has materialized.
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| The tower just to the right of the center, across the Straits of Messina, is on mainland Italy. |
Contrary to popular belief, Sicily is not a country. It merged with Italy in 1861 and operates as an autonomous region (similar to the Azores and Portugal). Just under five million people call Sicily home, and Messina (pop. 218,000) is the third largest city on the island. The Messina area has a long and sometimes violent past. The region was first settled in the 7th century BC, making it close to 700 years older than Rome. As with many of the older regions of Europe it was settled, conquered, resettled and reconquered numerous times in the BC time period. Thankfully, those days are in the past. Messina is a clean, thriving and welcoming city today.
The port for the city of Messina is great. It’s located just a few steps from the city center. We were off the ship fairly quickly after docking and as usual, had no real plans. Once out of the port gate, plenty of options were available for tours of the city and outlying areas varying in length and price. We opted for something easy and inexpensive…..the tourist train. For a rate of 25 euros for the both of us, we got a nice tour around the city center.
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| A little touristy……I guess that’s why they call it the “tourist train”. |
The 45 minute tour took us by several of the historic buildings and plazas before climbing uphill to the Cristi Re Church. At the church we had a great view of the city of Messina, the Strait of Messina and across to mainland Italy. It wasn’t a long tour, but it was a nice introduction to the city. It was also a way to get to the high viewpoint at the church without making the steep climb.
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| Cristo Re Church sits high above the city of Messina |
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| From the church overlook. |
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| Spring flowers were colorful and plentiful around town |
We really enjoyed the areas around the Piazza Cairoli and the Cathedral of Messina. For a real show in Messina be sure to be in front of the Cathedral of Messina at 12:00 noon when the world’s largest astronomical clock rings in the noon hours with bells and much more.
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| Near the Piazza Cairoli |
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| Messina’s main shopping street is tree lined and about a half mile long. |
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| The Astrological Clock of Messina Cathedral. |
One thing we really didn’t plan on was having pizza for the third day in a row, but the temptation got the best of us. Right close to the Cathedral of Messina was Passione Eterna restaurant. Their pizza is fantastic……the best we had on our three day pizza feast!
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| The best pizza so far…..but the contest isn’t over yet! |
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| Blogger at work…..not a bad office! |
