Question 1

Messina on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Messina is an easy city to see on your own: walk in from the harbor, be in the cathedral square by noon for the clock, then pick one more sight. Taormina is the longer outing, and it needs a train or bus and careful timing. Piazza del Duomo: Arrive before noon, when the astronomical clock on the bell tower runs its show of moving figures, and see the Orion Fountain beside the cathedral. A view over the strait: One of the walking routes climbs by old stairways and alleys to the domed shrine of Cristo Re on its hilltop. The regional museum: The Museo Regionale "Maria Accascina", at Viale della Libertà 465, holds works by Antonello da Messina and two paintings by Caravaggio. Taormina: Trains run from Messina to Taormina-Giardini station in a little under an hour, roughly hourly. The station is on the coast about 2 km (1.2 miles) below the town, up a steep, winding road, so you need a bus for the last stretch. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, and a Taormina trip leaves little slack, so check the return trains before you leave Messina.

Question 2

Getting Around Messina and the Region

Accepted Answer

The center of Messina is compact, and you can walk to all the central sights. For the coast and Taormina, regional trains leave from Messina Centrale, a short walk from the harbor. Messina Centrale station and the bus station are both on Piazza della Repubblica. Trains run roughly hourly south toward Taormina and Catania. Regional buses also run from Messina to Taormina. They are less frequent and slower than the train, but they stop in the upper town near Porta Messina, which saves the climb from the station. Taormina's main street, Corso Umberto, is closed to traffic, and a cable car links the town with the beach at Mazzarò below. Ferries cross the strait to Villa San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria on the mainland.

Question 3

What to Eat in Messina

Accepted Answer

A granita with a soft brioche is the classic Sicilian breakfast, and Messina has its own versions of several Sicilian dishes. Swordfish from the strait is a local specialty. Granita: Lemon, coffee, chocolate, strawberry and mulberry are the usual flavors in Messina, and topping it with whipped cream is a local habit. It is eaten with a brioche, the round bun with a small knob on top. Pignolata: Messina's signature dessert is made of small fried dough pieces covered in a chocolate and vanilla glaze. Arancini: In eastern Sicily the fried rice balls are usually cone-shaped, and Messina's are filled with saffron rice and meat ragù. Focaccia messinese: A thick, soft focaccia baked in wood-fired ovens and topped with escarole, tomato, anchovies and tuma cheese, sold in bakeries all over the city. Swordfish: Look for thin slices of raw swordfish marinated in lemon, or swordfish rolls stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs. Faro: This red wine, made only within the city's boundaries, was one of the first Sicilian wines given DOC status, in 1976.

Question 4

Tipping in Italy

Accepted Answer

Tipping is not compulsory in Italy, and waiters do not expect a tip, though they will not refuse one. Many restaurant bills carry a cover charge, the coperto, which is not a tip. Receipts: Businesses must give you a receipt for every purchase, so ask for it and keep it. Taxis: Leaving the change is common. Currency: Italy uses the euro, and the major credit cards are widely accepted.

Question 5

Culture and Attractions in the Messina Region

Accepted Answer

Messina's cathedral was rebuilt after each disaster to strike the city, and its clock tower and a 16th-century fountain stand in the same square. Down the coast, Taormina's ancient theater looks out over the Ionian Sea toward Mount Etna. The clock: The bell tower, 60 meters (197 feet) tall, holds an astronomical clock made by the Strasbourg firm of the Ungerer brothers and unveiled on August 15, 1933. At noon its figures act out scenes from Messina's history and legends. The cathedral: The Normans started it in the 12th century under Roger II, and it was consecrated in 1197. Earthquakes in 1783 and 1908 and bombs in 1943 each severely damaged it, and each time it was put back together; services resumed in 1929 and again in 1947. The Orion Fountain: Montorsoli, a pupil of Michelangelo, finished it in the 16th century. Four river gods stand on it: the Nile, the Tiber, the Ebro and the Camaro, the stream that first supplied the city's aqueduct. Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani: This church, built between 1150 and 1200, mixes Latin, Byzantine and Arab styles and is one of the few buildings that survived the 1908 earthquake. Mid-August: In the days leading up to August 15, the giant horseback figures of Mata and Grifone, the city's legendary founders, are paraded through the streets. Taormina's theater: It is the second-largest ancient theater in Sicily after Syracuse. It was first built in the 3rd century BC and enlarged under the Romans to seat about 10,000 people.

Question 6

Messina's History: Strategic Strait and Disaster

Accepted Answer

Messina's position on the strait has drawn one ruler after another, from Greeks and Romans to Normans and Spaniards, and earthquakes have flattened it more than once. The city you see today was largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1908. 8th century BC: The city was founded as Zancle, named for its sickle-shaped harbor, and later renamed Messana. 264 BC: Rome allied with the Mamertines, who then held the city, and sent troops to Sicily, the first Roman army to act beyond the Italian peninsula. 1060: Norman brothers Robert and Roger took the city, and it grew in importance under Norman rule. 1347: Messina was one of the first places in Western Europe reached by the Black Death, carried in on Genoese galleys. 1548: The first Jesuit college in the world was founded here, the origin of the University of Messina. 1571: The Christian fleet gathered in the harbor under Don John of Austria before sailing to victory at Lepanto. Miguel de Cervantes, who fought in the battle, recovered for a time in the city's hospital. 1674 to 1678: Messina rebelled against Spanish rule, and when Spain retook it in 1678 the city lost its university, its senate and its old privileges. 1783 and 1908: An earthquake in 1783 devastated much of the city. On December 28, 1908, a far worse one, followed by a tsunami, destroyed it almost completely and killed about half the population. 1943: Allied bombing during the invasion of Sicily destroyed a third of the rebuilt city. To learn more ashore: The Museo Regionale "Maria Accascina", Viale della Libertà 465, traces Sicilian history and art from prehistory to the 19th century, and the museum, founded in 1806, survived the 1908 earthquake.

Question 7

Messina and Taormina with Children and Families

Accepted Answer

Messina's center is compact enough for children to walk, and the city runs a treasure-hunt route through it. Taormina takes longer to reach, so weigh the travel time against younger children's patience. Younger children: Be in Piazza del Duomo before noon to watch the moving figures on the bell tower, and walk out along the waterfront route to see the Madonnina statue at the harbor mouth. School age: Pick up a Mysterious Messina map at the City Infopoint. Children follow clues around the historic center and photograph what they find, then bring the photos back to the Infopoint for a small souvenir. Teenagers: The climb to the shrine of Cristo Re gives a view across the strait, and the bell beside it, cast from captured enemy cannons, weighs 13 metric tons. A treat: A granita with a brioche makes an easy local stop between sights.

Question 8

Accessibility in Messina and Taormina

Accepted Answer

The cathedral square and waterfront are close to the port, but the viewpoints above the city are reached by stairways. Taormina is the hard part of a day from Messina. Ask your ship whether the gangway will be step-free in Messina. The walking route to Cristo Re climbs old stairways, so choose the waterfront or historic center routes if steps are a problem. Taormina-Giardini station is on the coast, about 2 km (1.2 miles) below the town by a steep, winding road. Regional buses from Messina stop in the upper town instead, so ask the operator whether its buses can take a wheelchair. In Taormina, the public gardens are reached by stairs down from the main town, and the cable car to Mazzarò covers a drop of about 170 meters (560 feet).

Question 9

Beaches and Coastal Areas

Accepted Answer

Below Taormina, the tiny island of Isola Bella sits in a small bay and is often linked to the shore by a narrow path. North of Messina, the lagoons at Ganzirri sit at the island's tip, where the strait is only about 3 km (2 miles) wide. Isola Bella: The island is a nature reserve, and its beach is small and rocky, so bring water shoes. Getting there: The cable car from Taormina's center runs down to Mazzarò, just north of Isola Bella. Ganzirri: This old fishing village about 13 km (8 miles) from the center has two lagoons, now part of a nature reserve. Swimming safety: The strait has strong tidal currents, and some beaches have undercurrents, so keep small children within arm's reach in the sea.

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