Holidays to Messina, Sicily |
Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. It is located at the North-East corner of Sicily and holds a population of 260,000.
Originally
called Zancle (scythe)
Founded by Greek colonists in the 8th century BC, Messina was originally
called Zancle (scythe) because of the shape of its natural harbour. Of that
name there still remains the 'Scaletta Zanclea' stairs. The Latin name of
the city is Messana.
Messina was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake and associated tsunami on the morning of December 28, 1908, killing over 75,000 people. It has been the unfortunate victim of aerial bombing during the second world war, so the reconstruction work is fairly ‘recent’ although some architecture has survived. Try to see the two famous 16th century fountains, Fontana di Orione and Fontana del Nettuno, both situated on the Corso Cavour. Also worth a visit is the Museo Regionale, which boasts works of art including the famous Antonello da Messina and Carvaggio.
In
June 1955, Messina was the location of the conference of western European
foreign ministers, which led to the creation of the European Economic Community.
The city is currently in the news due to ambitious plans to build a single
span bridge linking the Island of Sicily with mainland Italy. The project
is planned for completion in 2012 and is intended to open up Sicily to more
effective trade with the rest of Europe.
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