Day Trip Sicily

Messina “the gate of Sicily”, destroyed by two earthquakes, the last of which, in 1908, razed it to the ground. But these tragedies did not erase its glorious past: for centuries Messina had been a major Mediterranean city, a flourishing port and the richest city in Sicily, vying with Palermo for the title of Capital of the Realm. 

Passing some points of interest such us the City Hall, the Church of San Francesco, the fountain of Neptune, we will proceed to the National Museum that houses works by Antonello da Messina and two masterpieces by Caravaggio: the Nativity and the Raising of Lazarus. 

From here the tour will take you to the famous Piazza Duomo, where we can visit the Cathedral and at the left of it, you can’t miss the bell tower (60 meters high) with its incongruous astronomical clock, said to be the world’s largest. Built in Strasbourg in 1733, it strikes at noon, setting in motion a procession of bronze automata that sets off a comical roaring lion and crowing cockerel.

Afterward, we will drive to Tindari, delightful locality on the Gulf of Patti along the Tirrenian cost on the north of Sicily. Founded by Syracusan merchants during the war against Carthage in 396 B.C., the ancient town of Tindari owes its name to Tyndareus, King of Sparta. Its history is a succession of tales, myths and legends that left indelible marks in the popular imagination. Nowadays the town is famous for the old acropolis and the presence of a Black Madonna, still worshipped in a Sanctuary, from the terrace in front of the church enjoy magnificent views of the Aeolian Islands and the beautiful formations of sand and gravel produced by the shallows at the foot of the cliffs.