Hotels Messina

Messina is the third largest city in the region, called the "door of Sicily" because it overlooks on the strait of the same name separating the island from the continent. The ancient urban agglomeration is close between Peloritani mountains and the coast that is wet by the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Sea. This stretch of sea is one of the most troubled and mysterious of the Mediterranean and here Homer placed the two monsters Scylla and Charybdis. The city was founded by Greeks in 730 b.C., and has always been, thanks to its strategic location and its natural harbor, a flourishing commercial center and a meeting point of different cultures.

The history of Messina is strongly marked by many natural disasters that have repeatedly devastated the town. The most catastrophic event occurred in 1908, when a violent earthquake destroyed almost the entire city. Nowaday, the historical center has a modern look, characterized by wide avenues, squares and a beautiful seaside promenade. Many of the works of art and buildings of the past have been lost, but the city still keeps monuments and palaces of absolute beauty. Much of what was salvaged from the various disasters now resides in the Regional Museum.

In a room of the museum is set out the Polittico di San Gregorio, an important work of Antonello da Messina, one of the greatest painters of the '400. Of great interest are the numerous sculptures and the beautiful inlaid furniture, but the real main course of the exhibition are two paintings by Caravaggio. Not far is Piazza del Duomo, with its beautiful Cathedral of Norman origin. The facade retains its great doorways and some original scultures. On the left of the church stands the famous bell-tower  surmouunted with a wonderful astronomical clock. The time piece indicates the hours and, like a carousel, statues representing historical or religious figures move around.

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