Messina, Italy

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MESSINA Saturday 2nd May 2015

Another glorious day as we sailed into the city of Messina which is the third largest of
Sicily.
Most of our cruisers were departing for tours towards Taormina and
Mount Etna, so a leisurely breakfast was order of the day. We were just going to
walk the city.
Messina was flattened by an earthquake in 1908 and whilst it has
little industry the harbour is always busy with up to 60 ferries a day crossing
to mainland Italy. One of its major attractions which survived and has been
enhanced is the Duomo, a 12th century church and campanile. We headed here for
12 noon because the campanile holds one of the largest clocks in the world with
an astronomical side and a series of figures hitch perform tricks every day much
at noon to the amusement of locals and tourists alike. The lion wags it's tail
and staff, throws it's head back and roars, a cockerel crows and flaps its
wings. There are other figures that appear, with Ave Maria playing in the
background including Jesus and the Apostles and the ambassadors of Messina
passing in front of the Virgin Mary. Certainly a highlight as there is little
else of antiquity but it is in a beautiful setting and we did explore the
various churches and fountains. It is quite nice exploring the wide streets and
coming across little quirky buildings.
It was an early Sailaway for our next port of call Corfu.

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