Hotel Panoramic

Nearby Points of Interest

• The province of Messina lies on the northeastern tip of Sicily to the Strait of Messina. The distance to the Italian mainland is at the narrowest point only 3 kilometers. About 90 miles south of Catania and is located approximately 230 km west of the capital of Sicily Palermo. Mount Etna with about 3300 meters Europes highest volcano located about 70 kilometers southwest of the city. Messina is located at the narrowest point of the city named after the strait and is the commercial center of Sicily. 1. The cathedral in Messina a Norman foundation dating from the time of Roger II was begun in 1160 and consecrated in 1197. During the reconstruction after the earthquake of 1908 a great effort was made from 1919 to 1929 to recapture the original form of the building. This involved refurbishing those parts which were preserved such as the sculptured portals dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. other parts had to be recreated as close as possible to the original such as the campanile. This 60m/197ft high bell-tower reconstructed using old designs contains one of the greatest of all astronomical clocks a work by the Strasbourg firm of Ungerer -1933-. every day at midday the figures are set in motion and show scenes from the history of Messina including the handing-over of the legendary letter of protection from the Madonna to Messina. According to tradition she gave a letter to Messinan diplomats in Nazareth in which she wrote- We bless you and your city . 2. The Castle of Palazzolo built on a rock dominating the Anapo Valley dates back to the Norman period. There are only a few ruins of this superb castle which was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake with most of the town and which was the home of the Alagona barons and other lords. The town was rebuilt in the 18th century and the late original Baroque style of architecture blends with 19th and early 20th century architecture.