This tour allows you to see the major sites of Messina, a city almost entirely rebuilt after the catastrophic 1908 earthquake, followed by a visit to the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna at the ancient Greek settlement of Tindari.
After meeting your guide, you drive into Messina's city center for an orientation drive along the Via Garibaldi, past the Vittorio Emanuele Theater, the Town Hall, the church of Catalani, the Court and the University, with a stop at the Church of Cristo Re for a panoramic view of Messina and the Straits.
Next you take a walking tour of the Norman Cathedral. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1197, almost nothing of the original Norman structure survived the 1908 earthquake, and architect Francesco Valenti rebuilt its exterior based on historical documents in the decades that followed, the same story of reconstruction you will see echoed across the city. Highlights include the astronomical clock, the bell tower and the Orion Fountain.
Later this morning you visit the Messina Regional Museum, which was itself created to preserve pieces salvaged from buildings destroyed in 1908. Its civic and religious collections are arranged chronologically from the 12th to the 18th centuries and include architectural fragments, mosaics, sculpture and decorative arts.
After your tour of Messina you have a short lunch break (meal not included).
This afternoon you travel along Sicily's northern coast to Tindari, perched on a panoramic point above the Tyrrhenian Sea. Tindari was founded as a Greek settlement of about 5,000 people in 396 BC and later became a Roman outpost. Today its ruins include an impressive stretch of ancient city walls and a theater built between the late 4th and 3rd centuries BC, which once held roughly 3,000 spectators and still hosts performances today.
On the hill's highest point stands the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna, home to a Byzantine statue of the Virgin carved from cedar wood around 800 AD. The Basilica built around it dates to the 16th century and remains a popular pilgrimage stop, elevated to the status of minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2018.
Below the sanctuary, local legend explains the ever shifting Marinello lagoons: a pilgrim who refused to pray to the Black Madonna because of her dark complexion accidentally dropped her baby into the sea, and the Madonna raised the land beneath the child to save it. The sandbars of Marinello are said to have taken the shape of the Madonna's profile.
After visiting Tindari you return to Messina.
If you cannot find what you are looking for, our Messina tours and Messina Shore Excursions can also be customized to fit your needs. If you have a larger group, we can offer you a private Messina tour using a mid-size bus or full size coach. Please contact us with any questions or to receive a customized quote.
Review Location- Messina 
