Visiting Messina: Cathedral, astronomical clock, MuMe, Capo Peloro
The Norman Cathedral with its bell tower and astronomical clock, which brings 54 figures to life at noon; the MuMe with two Caravaggios and Antonello da Messina's Saint Gregory Polyptych; the Capo Peloro reserve with its lagoon. In August, the Vara and the Giants. Nearby: Milazzo for the Aeolian Islands, Tindari, Taormina, the Alcantara Gorges.
Sections: Attractions · Museums · Nature · Itineraries · Excursions · Accessible visits
- Cathedral: of Norman origin, consecrated in 1197; it holds Antonello Gagini's statue of Saint John the Baptist, the Madonna della Lettera on a gilded copper plate (seventeenth century) and a fourteenth-century mosaic in the Sacrament Chapel.
- Bell tower and astronomical clock: a 60-metre tower completed in 1933, a 200-step climb past the mechanisms; every day at 12:00 a show of just under a quarter of an hour with 54 bronze automata to Schubert's Ave Maria.
- MuMe – Interdisciplinary Regional Museum, in the former Filanda Mellinghoff (opened in 2017): Caravaggio's Raising of Lazarus and Adoration of the Shepherds and Antonello da Messina's Saint Gregory Polyptych.
- Capo Peloro nature reserve, managed by the Metropolitan City: the lagoon, the Torre dei Saraceni, the beach rock on Via Marina and traditional clam farming; the Metropolitan City sponsors guided visits.
When to come and nearby
The feast of the Assumption (14–15 August) with the Giants and the Vara is the event of the year (see Identity). From the city you can reach Milazzo, with the Piscina di Venere and connections to Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli, the sanctuary of Tindari, Novara di Sicilia, Taormina with its Greek theatre and the Alcantara Gorges.
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-13
No questions in the community · Ask the community