Sights
Messina Cathedral (Duomo)
The city's great Norman-founded cathedral, carefully rebuilt after the 1908 earthquake and later wartime damage. Inside are a long nave, mosaics and a treasury.
6 things within 20 minutes of the ship in Messina
For short stops, hot days and anyone who'd rather not watch the clock. Times are from the Colapesce, Vespri and I Settembre quays.
Sights
Bell tower and astronomical clock
The cathedral's bell tower holds one of the largest mechanical clocks anywhere. At noon its gilded figures move, a lion roars and a cockerel crows; tower visits are by ticket and times vary.
Sights
Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani
A small 12th-century church that survived the 1908 earthquake, mixing Arab, Norman and Byzantine touches. Opening is irregular, but the outside alone is worth a look.
Sights
Fountain of Orion
A 16th-century marble fountain in Piazza Duomo honouring Orion, the city's mythical founder, with river gods around its basin.
Sights
Fountain of Neptune
Neptune stands calming the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, the legendary dangers of the strait, on this fountain facing the harbour.
Sights
Sacrario di Cristo Re
A domed church and war memorial on the hill above the centre. The terrace gives the best free view over the harbour and across the strait to Calabria. It is an uphill walk of about 20 minutes.