Tuesday, April 25, 2023 - Messina, Sicily, Italy

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Tuesday, April 25 – Messina, Sicily 

We picked up our local pilot about 6:40 a.m. and negotiated the narrow opening of this natural harbor. Messina is at the northeastern side of the island and is just across the Messina Strait from Italy’s Calabria (the toe of the boot) region. The Strait at this point is only 3 kilometers across. Cruise ships dock adjacent to the old town center. 

Calabria across the strait

Old town, Messina.

We had signed up for the included tour today which will be a drive around and then a walking tour in the old town with emphasis on the cathedral there. 

Our group was called a few minutes early, which was nice and off we went. We drove north along the coast to the tip of the island. 2 interesting features in this area are lakes. The 2 lakes are connected. They are saltwater lakes with sea water flowing in and out. These lakes are used to cultivate both clams and mussels. We passed numerous fish markets.

Bags of mussels and clams

 

Mussel beds in the lake.

As we headed back south, we made a stop at a patisserie. It was suggested we may want to try their cannelloni (or other sweet) and some coffee. The coffee was espresso and very strong but quite good. 5 sips and it was gone. The cannelloni was to die for. 

We continued into the old town and got off the bus. We were led to the cathedral square and given explanations of the cathedral and its bell tower. We did go inside the cathedral but there was a service going on as today is a holiday. It is National Liberation Day, also known as Anniversary of the Resistance. It has been a holiday since 1949. It is a tribute to all political partisans who stood up against the Nazis.

The planetarium on top and the perpetual calendar on the bottom.

Front center doors of the cathedral.

The underside of the roof

Front altar and mosaics

Side lights and arches

Statuary lined both sides of the church

Detail of mosaic work on the back wall.

Rows of mosaic between the rows of block. Each row of mosaic was different.

 

Due to the service, we were unable to explore the sanctuary, but what we did see was stunning. We have seen many beautiful temples, mosques, synagogues, and churches. This one is exceptional. The church was first consecrated in 1197. However, a very strong earthquake hit the area in 1908 and destroyed most of the buildings on this part of the island. Reconstruction had begun, but during World War II, extensive bombing occurred, and the church’s interior was left with one mosaic and one statue. In 1933 the bell tower was added and the clockworks. On the quarter hour the bells toll and one of the windows has a mechanism that moves. At noon. There are a whole series of things that happen. We were in the square with several hundred others to watch the performance. If you’re interested in learning more about the significance of each window on the tower, check out the link below. It is too complicated to explain here. 

Messina astronomical clock - Wikipedia

The bottom 2 windows.

The bottom most window changes each day to represent the day of the week.

On the quarter hour, one of four figures moves past death (the skeleton)

The next two windows up.

At noon, a dove flies around and a model of the church that faces the cathedral rises up.

Next window up is actually the last window to have movement in it during the performance.

At this time of year, this scene is portrayed. Christ rising from the tomb.

The Ave Maria is played during this.

This shows a scene in the window, 2 figures that appear to be ringing the bell, and a rooster.

An angel gives Mary a letter that she then gives to ambassadors from Messina as they pass by her.

Mary is the patron saint of Messina because of this. Her statue also stands at the mouth of the harbor. 

The letter blessed the people of Messina.

The rooster tries to flap its wings and crows.

The lion is the symbol of Messina. It waves the Messina flag and roars.

Architectural detail in town

A statue behind the cathedral

 

After the noon performance, we headed back to the ship. We got close to the ship only to learn that the only gate we can use to get back on the dock is about 4/10 of a mile down the dock. We must clear immigration which consisted of comparing my Arizona Driver’s License and my room key card. 

Right after we docked this morning, another cruise ship also docked. It is the MSC World Europa. It is a new ship in the MSC line with a maximum passenger capacity of almost 6,800. It’s BIG! REAL BIG!

BIG ship in port with us. People were getting off this morning and others on this afternoon. 

The Virgin Mary at the mouth of the harbor.