Messina

Messina, Italy

The gilded Madonna della Lettera statue glows on the Forte San Salvatore above Messina harbour as the sun rises over the Calabrian hills.

Messina is a working Sicilian port that was rebuilt after a catastrophic earthquake, with a golden Madonna, a Renaissance fountain and very good swordfish.

The place

Messina sits at the north-eastern tip of Sicily, on the Strait of Messina, with the Calabrian coast of mainland Italy close enough to read as a second shoreline. It is a working port first and a visitor stop second, and that shapes the whole city. Ferries run through day and night, goods trains are loaded onto boats, and lorries queue for the crossing. Many travellers use it only as a gateway to Taormina, Etna or the Aeolian Islands, and some never leave the quay. The city does little to change their minds. With about 219,000 residents it is a proper working city, with traffic, a university and the usual Sicilian paperwork, not a museum piece. The centre lies only about 3 metres above sea level and was largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1908, which is why the streets are broad and regular and why older buildings are scattered rather than clustered. The sickle-shaped harbour curves around the waterfront, and a gilded Madonna on a tall tower watches the entrance. Walking between the main sights is easy, the weather is kind outside high summer, and prices and pace feel gentler than in the island's better-known resorts. Expect plain streets, good seafood and a handful of sights that repay an unhurried half-day, rather than a city built for postcards.

Its story

Messina began as a Greek colony around the eighth century BC, and its first name, Zancle, came from a Greek word for a sickle, a reference to the curved natural harbour. A legend offers a rival origin in a king called Zanclus. In the early fifth century BC a ruler from Rhegium, across the strait, renamed it Messene after a city in Greece, and the Latinised form Messana lasted through Roman times. The modern name, Messina, arrived in the Byzantine period. The early centuries were violent. Carthaginians sacked the city, Dionysius of Syracuse took it back, and in 288 BC a band of mercenaries called the Mamertines seized it by treachery, killing the men and taking the women as wives. They used it as a base for raiding the countryside, which drew in Syracuse and Carthage and, eventually, Rome. The city shrank under Byzantine and Arab rule, then rose sharply under the Normans. Between the late Middle Ages and the middle of the seventeenth century it was prosperous enough to rival Palermo as capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. A revolt against Spanish rule in 1678 ended badly, with the local ruling class wiped out. An earthquake in 1783 did serious damage, and another in 1908 destroyed almost the whole city and killed about half its people. Almost everything a visitor sees was built, or rebuilt, after that.

What to see

Culture

Messina carries its history lightly but visibly. The city is the setting for two Shakespeare plays, Much Ado About Nothing and The Winter's Tale, and the city council once voted to make the playwright an honorary citizen, a gesture locals mention with some pride. Religious life centres on the Madonna della Lettera, the patron saint whose gilded statue guards the harbour, and on the cathedral, rebuilt with great effort after the 1908 earthquake. That disaster still sits in the city's memory; the loss of half the population shaped families, local pride and a stubborn practicality. Daily rhythm is Sicilian: a slow morning, a long lunch, shops shutting in the afternoon, and a lively evening stroll along the main streets and waterfront. Coffee is taken quickly at the bar counter, while meals are for lingering. Conversation is warm, direct and often loud, and strangers are usually helpful if asked politely, even without a shared language. Football, church festivals and family gatherings fill weekends. Messina also sits on a busy crossing, so ferry workers, students and commuters give it a different mood from the resort towns nearby: practical rather than performative. Visitors who show curiosity about local history and food tend to be welcomed. Cover your shoulders and knees when entering the Duomo or any church, and keep your voice low during services.

What to wear

Traditional Sicilian dress around Messina is now mostly seen at festivals and in folklore groups. Men's rural clothing centred on the coppola, a flat cap of wool or tweed, with dark waistcoats and trousers of heavy cloth; women wore full skirts, bodices, shawls and aprons in wool, cotton and linen, often with embroidery or lace trim. Black was common for mourning and everyday wear among older generations. These costumes now appear at religious processions and village feasts rather than day to day. Today people in Messina dress neatly and casually, in the Italian way: fitted trousers or jeans, shirts, light jackets, leather shoes or clean trainers, and few shorts in town away from the beach. Locals dress up for church, dinner and the evening stroll. Visitors should pack light cotton or linen for the warm months, a hat and sunglasses, and a thin layer for the wind on ferries and the waterfront. Shoulders and knees need covering for the Duomo and other churches, so carry a scarf or light shirt. Pavements are mostly good but uneven in places and wet stone can be slippery, so choose comfortable shoes with grip. In winter, bring a waterproof jacket; it is mild but can be wet and windy.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April–June and September–October, when the weather is warm but not oppressive and the sea is pleasant. July and August are hot and busy with Italian holidaymakers, and winter can be wet and windy, though it is mild.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. The nearest airports are Reggio di Calabria across the strait, Catania Fontanarossa about 80 km south and Palermo about 150 km west. From the mainland, the usual last leg is the ferry from Villa San Giovanni, about 20 minutes and frequent, and intercity trains from Rome and Naples are carried over on it too. Some ferries land at a northern terminal about 4 km from the centre, so check before boarding.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

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