Sicily (Messina), Italy – Monday, December 27

Last updated on December 29th, 2021 at 01:39 am

Messina & Its Treasures

Marvel at the architectural and artistic treasures held dear by the Sicilians of Messina. Meet your local guide for a short drive to the heart of Messina’s historic center. See the expansive Piazza Municipio, the Via Garibaldi and the Piazza Cairoli, the heart of Old Town. Drive along the Via Cannizzaro to view the university, court of law, and picturesque Corso Cavour. Enjoy a photo stop by the hillside Votive Temple of Christ the King, a Sicilian baroque wonder, and admire the views over the port and the Messina Straight. Next you will reboard your motor coach and continue your panoramic tour along the north coast of Messina, which offers stunning vistas over the Ganzirri Lakes and the Capo Peloro. The saltwater lakes are used by fishermen to breed clams and mussels which feature heavily in the local cuisine.

This morning we awoke in Messina, Sicily. The day began gray and rainy. As we began getting ready to start the day, we saw the sun peaking out through the clouds and half of a rainbow appeared above the city we could see from our veranda. Heather then announced new requirements had just been put into place by the Italian authorities. All passengers going ashore were required to have negative results on a rapid antigen test. So, Viking began testing all passengers. Our tour was to start at 9:30 am, one of the later leaving excursions, so we waiting in our stateroom. We went down for our tests around 8:45 am, waiting in line for about an hour. After testing, we headed up to breakfast. We returned to our stateroom to await Heather’s announcement with further instructions.

Our excursion into Messina got under way at about 12:30 pm, 3 hours later than the scheduled time. On a crossroads in the Mediterranean, part of Europe and Africa, yet belonging to neither, Sicily was tramped across by half the ancient civilized world. As conquerors came and went, they left behind elements of their culture, resulting in the rich and varied mixture that typifies every aspect of Sicilian life, from language, customs and cooking to art and, most notably, architecture.

Our first stop was the Messina Cathedral, or Duoma, dating back to 1551 AD. The majority of the cathedral has been reconstructed multiple times due to seismic activity in the region as well as multiple invasions and wars. As most things in Sicily, it is a mixture of cultures and architectural styles, from the capitals of the columns from ancient temples to mythical gods to the roof of decorative wood in an Arabic style. Everyday at noon a song is played in the church’s bell tower complete with moving parts in scenes on the tower. 

After the cathedral, our guide walked us to her favorite church, Santissima Annunziata del Catalani, a small church that withstood the terrible earthquake of 1908 and is an example of Norman architecture. From there we walked back to the bus for the drive up the hill to Temple Christ the King for panoramic views of the city and the port. This is the only church in the city honoring Christ as the others honor the Virgin Mary. Created in 1937, the actual monument features a beautiful hexagonal design and has a large ornate dome that can be seen for miles. An amalgamation of designs, the church features several distinct time periods and combines elements of Corinthian design together with Baroque fixtures.

From the Temple Christ the King we drove toward the Strait of Messina and two natural lakes. At the Strait of Messina, the Mediterranean Sea and Ionian Sea meet creating a mingling of warmer and cooler water with dangerous currents. At this point Sicily and the Italian peninsula are a mere 2 miles apart. We drove past the Fontana di Nettuno, the fountain of Neptune, protector of the sea. We drove around the two natural saltwater lakes, Ganzirri and Pelora. These lakes, great places for fish and mussels are fed by rainwater, groundwater and several small streams. Our guide explained that the lakes may not be special to us, but they are to Sicilians as they are to only two lakes in all of Sicily. We stopped on the other side of the lakes for photos and a treat. Our guide explained Sicilian’s eat gelato and brioche together. Alan chose pistachio gelato and Joyce chose lemon. We shared a brioche. The lemon was lighter in color than lemon at home, but was full of lemon flavor. The brioche was freshly made, warm and soft, an excellent treat since by now it is 2:45 pm. After our treat we drove back to the ship.

By the time we arrived back in our stateroom, it was after 3:30 pm. Since we had our treat, we decided to wait until 4 pm, and try afternoon tea in the Wintergarden. We hadn’t gone before as we are always too full from lunch. Today, since we didn’t eat lunch it was a good time to go. It was a somewhat formal affair. We chose our tea from a list of at least 20 different teas. Alan chose Tropical green and Joyce chose Bombay chai. The server came by, took our order and brought our tea, steeping in pots. Next, the server brought a tiered plate holder with three small plates, two with small sandwiches and one with desserts. As we drank our tea and sampled sandwiches, another server brought scones, butter and jam.  All were excellent, and we decided to take tea again. We walked by the pool and hot tub on our way back to our stateroom, noticed the hot tub was empty and decided to visit it. We had the hot tub to ourselves, a very relaxing experience.

The ship was scheduled to leave Messina at 5:30 pm, but since the 8 ½ hour excursion to Mt. Etna and Taormina had not yet returned by 5:30 pm, we will have another change in schedule.