Highlights of Messina

This tour provides a complete orientation to the city of Messina in a single half day, combining a short driving tour, a walking tour and a visit to the Messina Regional Museum so you see all of the city's major monuments without a long day on the road.

After meeting your guide, you drive into Messina's beautiful city center. You start with a short orientation drive through Messina's main street, the Via Garibaldi, seeing the Vittorio Emanuele Theater, the Town Hall, the church of Catalani, the Court and the University. You then take a panoramic drive to the Church of Cristo Re, where you stop for a sweeping view of Messina and the Straits separating Sicily from mainland Italy.

Next comes a walking tour centered on the Norman Cathedral. The church was originally built under Norman rule but not formally dedicated to the Virgin Mary until 1197. Almost none of the original Norman construction survived the catastrophic 1908 earthquake, and architect Francesco Valenti reconstructed the cathedral's general layout and exterior appearance from historical documents in the years that followed. On the cathedral's bell tower you will see the astronomical clock, inaugurated in 1933 and considered one of the largest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clocks in the world. At noon each day, a system of gears, counterweights and levers animates dozens of gilded bronze figures across several levels of the tower, telling the civil and religious history of Messina while a planetarium display marks the movement of the planets and the lunar phases. Nearby you will also see the Orion Fountain.

Later you visit the Messina Regional Museum, founded in part to preserve artistic and religious works salvaged from buildings destroyed by the 1908 earthquake. Its collections are arranged chronologically from the 12th to the 18th centuries and include important architectural fragments, mosaics, sculpture and decorative arts, along with major works from Messina's artistic history.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, our 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.

• The Messina Regional Museum is closed on Mondays. If your ship is in port on a Monday, the museum visit will be replaced with additional time in Messina's historic center.