MESSINA The city that we are going to introduce to you is Messina. Situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on the island of Sicily, it is one of the most important cities and crossroads in Italy. Messina was settled by the Calcides, a population from Greece in 730 b.c.: its first name was Zancle. Zancle means sickle, and the city was called like that because its port has a sinckle shape. It had a strategic importance in the trades of the Mediterranean sea for its favorite geographic position. In the III century B.C., Messina become a military port and a equipped commercial seaport thanks to the Romans. Going on in the centuries, in 1061 were built the Royal Palace, the Dom, finished in 1159 and the Archiepiscopal Palace. Unfortunately Messina was hit by a big earthquake two times, first in1783 and then in 1908: there were a lot of victims, but the monuments were only damaged and not destroyed. Today Messina is a big city, with lots of attractions and things to do. There are many infopoints in the city, but the best of them is the one in Palazzo dei Leoni, situated on Corso Cavour, not so far away from the Cathedral. Index: 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
Things to do and visit How to get there Hotels/restaurant/shops Sites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu9_EKi2TME
1.1 Things to do and to visit
Messina has got lots of interesting things to do and visit. For example, the Cathedral has a belltower that it is characterized by the Astronomic Clock: at midday its sculpture starts moving in circle with a music in the background. In the centre of the square there is the Orion Fountain, that represents the triumph of the founder of this city. Other important monuments are the church of S. Francesco d’Assisi and the Church of S. Annunziata of Catalani. We suggest you see the Church of S. Giovanni Malta, of S. Maria Alemanna and of S. Maria della Valle. The Regional Museum is very important for the Roman sarcophagus, sculptures, mosaics and so on. The Neptune Fountain or the Palazzo Zanca, where the City Hall lies, are beautiful too. The Palazzo Piacentini, the Art Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele III, that is famous for its perfect acoustics, Castel Gonzaga and Monte di Pietà are another good places to visit.
Palazzo dei Leoni
The Bell Tower
The Duomo
S.Fancesco D’Assisi’s church
The Cathedral of Messina Messina’s cathedral is in the city centre. Its origins are byzantine, but in 1072 it became a Christian church and was consecrated in 1197. The original structures of the building has changed because of the damages suffered in the centuries. The first destruction of the Cathedral was in 1254, but luckily it was rebuilt. In 1908 a big earthquake, that hit Messina, destroyed the building, and the reparations were in the 20’s. The church was damaged in the II World War too, but in 1947 it was restored again. This church is not only a place of worship: effectively it’s got a treasure of precious objects. They‘ve belonged to the Cathedral since the Middle Age, and most of them are works of Messina’s renowned gold work.
The most precious object is the “Manta d’oro”: it’s a fabulous siding of an old picture of Mother Mary and Jesus, and it’s made of gold, sapphires, rubies, silver and other precious metals. The “Manta d’oro” is used only in the big celebrations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1rBw3vkEuY the Bell tower of the cathedral in function at the midday.
The “Manta d’oro”
1.2 How to get there? By plane The nearest airports are Catania Fontanarossa (about 90km south) and the airport of Tito Minniti’s strait in Reggio Calabria. Fontanarossa’s airport has got lot of company and it’s got lot of connections with the principal European capital cities and holiday places. Furthermore there are some low-cost companies. This airport is connected to Messina by bus but it’s difficult to find them at the night. From the airport Minniti there is coach that bring to the port where is possible to arrive in Messina by the hydrofoil of the Sea’s Subway. By train The central station of Messina is situated near the city centre and the port. There is a subway train system that goes to Giampilieri marina in the south and Patti in the west. It’s also useful the station in Villa San Giovanni. By car The city is connected to Catania by the highway A18 and to Palermo by the highway A20: it’s also possible to arrive in the Italian peninsula through the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria, exiting at Villa San Giovanni and here take the ferry to Messina. The trip on the ferry takes about 20 minutes. By coach Messina bus hub, from here leave all the buses that take you around Sicily, sometimes the bus represents the only solution for many places, for example the connection with Puglia. For shorter distances there are many connection with the city centre. By ship The port system of Messina is the first in Italy for passengers: it’s the principal way to go to Sicily and it’s constantly connected with the ports of Villa San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria. There are departures every 40 minutes. Nowadays it is one of the most important ports for the cruises: company like MSC, Costa and Royal Carribean stop over here.
a view of Messina’s port
1.3 Hotels/restaurants/shops HOTELS Guest House Residence Il Guest House of Messina is a 4 stars residence, it situated a few minutes away from the city centre and the main streets and shopping centre, so it’s great for everyone who wants to go to shopping. Costs for night Single bedroom € 60 ROSTICCERIA F.LLI FAMULARI Double bedroom for single use € 70 Double bedroom € 80 tempiodeiricordi@hotmail.it Triple bedroom € 100 Junior single Suite € 90 Via Battisti 143 Junior Double Suite € 100 Messina (me), 98122 Italia Single Suite € 100 Double Suite € 120 Tel: 090 771447 Triple Suite € 140 Fax: 090 771447
Residence Empedocle It lies in the centre of Messina, near the train station and the motorways. Ordinary Costs Single bedroom- € 60,00 Double bedroom for single useing - € 70,00 Double bedroom- € 85,00 Triple bedroom- € 120,00
RESTAURANTS Deli and Bakery F.lli Famulari di Salvatore Famulari Foods: - most of 40 different types of Arancini, the most famous food of Sicily. (the traditional Arancino is a ball of fried rice stuffed with meat sauce, peas and mozzarella cheese. It can be make also with Nutella, ham, white sauce, pistachios, etc. ) -Cannelloni (pasta filled with meat or vegetables and mozzarella cheese) -Focaccia Bread from Messina (an high and fluffy pastry covered by endive, cheese and pieces of tomatoes) -Pidone or Pituni (a half moon-shaped savory stuffed roll with endive, salty anchovy and tomatoes) -Mozzarella in carrozza or muzzarella (Fried mozzarella sometimes with ham) -Schiacciata from Messina (Bread filled with tuna cheese, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, onion, sausages, pepper, oil and salt) -Sfinci di riso or sfinciuni (sticks made with rice, orange peel, cinnamon, sugar, oil and then covered with sugar) -Balò di ricotta (typical sweet of Sicily stuffed with fresh sheep ricotta, vanilla and cinnamon)
Comments:
We’ve chosen this city because we think it’s really interesting, it’s got lot of things to see and to do. There’s also a wonderful weather, especially in summer: Messina has got a lot of beaches that are near one of the most beautiful sea ever. Maybe this place is underestimated, because everyone when thinking of Sicily thinks about Palermo or Syracuse, but personally we think that this is a very nice, interesting and historical place.
Thanks for your attention! Denise, Lisa and Maria Sofia http://www.xwords-generator.de/en/s/bzmrt crossword links
1.4 Sites
http://www.rosticceriafamulari.it/dove-siamo.html http://www.messinainweb.it/messina/storia-di-messina http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messina https://www.google.it/maps/place/Palazzo+Dei+Leoni++Provincia+Regionale+Di+Messina/@38.1933676,15.5540998,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x7c1b55f cb23f5c07 http://www.guesthousemessina.it/?file=home.php http://www.empedocle.eu/messina/main.asp?idm=1&ido=0&pg=m_1 http://www.rosticceriafamulari.it/dovesiamo.html http://www.guesthousemessina.it/?file=home.php http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6 /Massina,_cattedrale,_campanile.JPG/225pxMassina,_cattedrale,_campanile.JPG&imgrefurl=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanile_del_duomo _di_Messina&h=300&w=225&tbnid=tWREuB_5u1JUdM:&zoom=1&docid=QbFF1NInL7z4_M&ei=IQY PVbKfJ8aAUY_PgNAK&tbm=isch&ved=0CCQQMygEMAQ http://www.art-me.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/palazzo-dei-leoni-provincia-messina.jpg http://www.vacanzesiciliane.net/wp-content/uploads/Facciata-Duomo-300x238.jpg http://www.volaincrociera.com/images/cities/messina/387-messine-1.jpg https://encryptedtbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSz8ZHM9BgMobNuFu5Zgo5AZQ_hWUzQb63cHqLpJzB_zNw YXmic_A http://www.viaggi-lowcost.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/arancino.jpg http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duomo_di_Messina http://www.madonnadellalettera.it/il-culto-a-messina/la-manta9.html http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Messina%2C_cattedrale%2C_interno _03.JPG/310px-Messina%2C_cattedrale%2C_interno_03.JPG http://www.madonnadellalettera.it/images/stories/manta.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Messina_duomo_2.JPG/300pxMessina_duomo_2.JPG http://ilovemessina.it/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/La-Chiesa-di-San-Francesco-d-Assisi.jpg http://www.siciliain.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/messina-panorama-anni60.jpg