It’s an easy day trip from Calabria and since most non Italian-Americans hear more about Sicily than Calabria, it might be interesting to my readers.

And then, a light went off.

We have one of our most loyal guests-a pharmaceutical sales rep named Maria-who is from Messina and who is staying at our B&B right now. I’ll chat with her over breakfast, run my list of Messina travel attractions by her and ask for recommendations on bars and rusticherie.

And so I did.

Located just three kilometers from the toe of the mainland through the Straits, Messina is the gateway to la Sicilia and is the first stop for travelers who reach the island via Calabria.

Its unsettling past of plague and earthquakes does little to help this port town and most travelers rush through Messina en-route to more enticing (read: popular) tourist destinations.

But they might be missing out.

Messina’s Norman Duomo was built around 1150, but was consecrated under the Swabians at the end of the century. The Catalan-Gothic portal and marble inlay inside the Cathedral were reconstructed after centuries of destruction from earthquakes and fires using original material, while the treasury contains religious artifacts, including a monstrance and host from the 1600s.

The pre-Baroque Orion Fountain, built in 1547 by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli sits in the piazza outside the church. The highlight of the day, however, is the bell tower’s literal show and dance, where the lion roars, the rooster squawks and the processional of saints reenact a historical event-all inside the largest astronomical clock in the world. You can read details of the event here.

The 12th Century Church of Annunziata dei Catalani isn’t far from the Duomo and features architectural work from the late Norman period alongside powerful Arab designs-reflective of the many cultures that occupied this seaside city.

Messina’s municipio-or city hall-is one of the prettiest buildings in the city and the Fountain of Neptune and church of Santa Maria degli Alemanni are also worth a look.

For the best rustici in town-at least according to Maria-head to Famulari on Via Cesare Battisti or Bar Irrera on Viale Boccetta.

Perhaps one of the most enticing things about Messina, at least for those of us in Calabria, is the ease at which we can get there. It is just an easy hour and a half train ride from Lamezia and most of the city’s highlights are centered in the downtown area, making it easy to visit the sights, fill up on rustici and get back to Calabria before dusk.

Have you been to Messina? What are some of your favorite things to see or do?

Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan the trip of a lifetime.

Related posts:

1. How to Spend a Perfect Spring Day in Catanzaro Choosing to spend your vacation in Calabria is...
2. Five Fabulous Fortresses in Calabria Like most of southern Italy, Calabria has castles...
3. Three Best-Kept Travel Secrets in Calabria A couple of months ago Katie at TripBase...
4. Customized Calabria Itineraries and Travel Planning Whoa. Stop right there. Don’t hit that back...
5. Travel Tip Tuesday: Five Things to Pack for Your Trip to Italy Packing for Italy doesn’t have to be a...