Messina in 3 Days: An Itinerary at the Gateway to Sicily

What to Eat: You absolutely must try Focaccia Messinese (with escarole, tomato, anchovies, and tuma cheese), arancini with meat sauce (here they are cone-shaped and strictly masculine!), and the pidone , a typical fried calzone.
Sweet Break: Coffee granita with whipped cream, served with a brioche col tuppo , is almost a religion in Messina. Historic spots include Pasticceria Irrera and Bar del Sud.
Getting Around: Messina has a very convenient tram line running through the city center. To reach Taormina, the regional train is fast and stops at Taormina-Giardini station (from there, a shuttle bus takes you up to the historic center).

Messina is the “Gateway to Sicily”: a city that has risen from its own ashes (literally, after the devastating 1908 earthquake) and offers breathtaking views over the Strait of Messina.

Day 1: Messina, the City of the Strait

Dedicate your first day to Messina’s historic center, a “new” city with an ancient soul and sweeping views that reach all the way to Calabria.

Piazza Duomo and the Astronomical Clock

Start from Piazza Duomo. At exactly 12:00 noon, don’t miss the bell tower show: the largest and most complex astronomical clock in the world comes to life with golden figures moving to the sound of Ave Maria.
Afterwards, visit the Cathedral (Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta) and admire the Fountain of Orion, described by art historian Bernard Berenson as “the most beautiful fountain of 16th-century Europe.”

Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani and the Belvedere

Just a short walk away is the Church of the Catalans, a jewel of Arab-Norman architecture that survived multiple earthquakes.
In the afternoon, head up to the Shrine of Christ the King (Sacrario di Cristo Re): its dome dominates the city, and from the viewpoint you’ll enjoy the most iconic panorama of the Strait and the sickle-shaped harbor.