SHORE
EXCURSION: MESSINA & TINDARIS
TOUR: 8
Hours
DOWNLOAD
RESERVATION FORM • PRICE
SHEET
 Includes:
private transportation to and from Messina
with English speaking driver/guide, taxes,
parking, tolls.
Messina has suffered both devastating earthquakes
and World War II bombings. Yet it not only
still survives, but boasts some of the most
beautiful and important architecture and museums.
The Museo Regionale houses treasures by such
artistic greats as Antonello da Messina and
Caravaggio. We’ll also see Santissima Annunziata
dei Catalani in Piazza Catalani, a stellar
example of the richly decorated and eclectic
12th century Norman architecture. Outside the
beautiful Fontana d'Orione is the finest fountain
of its kind from 16th-century Sicily, while
the fountain of Nettuno (Neptune), dating from
the same period, celebrates Messina's foundation
as a major world port.
The most important monument in Messina, however,
is the Cathedral, erected during the 12th-century
Norman reign. Most of the present cathedral
was actually reconstructed after earthquake
damage, though a few segments of the original
walls remain. If possible, you will be in place
at noon to enjoy a very special movement of
its astrological clock.
tour photo
Your next destination is Tindaris, a Bronze
Age settlement from about 1500 BC. The most
important Greek city in this vicinity, Tindaris
suffered from a landslide at the end of the
First Century AD and an earthquake in 365 AD.
Most of what the visitor sees today was constructed
during the Roman period.
You will tour the amphitheatre, built in the
4th century BC, with its ruins of simple temples
and the so-called basilica, a fine example
of Greco-Roman architecture. You will also
see an important Christian sanctuary that sits
high above the city, with a black Madonna statue
that draws visitors from near and far.
Back
to top |
