Messinana, Sicily, Italy

Today, we decided to explore the city on our own. We weren’t sure how the street conditions would be for the wheelchair, but to our pleasant surprise, the city center was quite manageable. I imagine that after the devastating 1908 earthquake, the sidewalks were rebuilt with better accessibility in mind.

Our first stop was only a few minutes from the cruise terminal: the Church of Annunziata dei Catalani. This 13th-century church is the only structure that survived the 1908 earthquake. Although we couldn’t go inside—and I didn’t take any pictures of the exterior—it was still interesting to see the building that had withstood such destruction.

A short walk brought us to the Messina Cathedral. It was still early, and the plaza in front of it was practically empty. Since it was Sunday, the locals were still sleeping in and the stores were closed. We took a few photos, visited the interior, and decided to return around noon for the famous clock-tower show.

We continued through the quiet streets, visited a few more churches, and walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II—also closed, unsurprisingly. Eventually, we made our way back to the Cathedral’s plaza. With some time to spare before noon, I climbed the 280 steps to the top of the clock tower to take in the view and see the clock mechanism up close.

After I came back down, we found a good spot to watch the show.

The astronomical clock of Messina was constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. Built into the Cathedral’s campanile, it was meant to recreate the ancient astronomical clock of the medieval bell tower, which had been destroyed in earlier disasters. Commissioned by the Archbishop of Messina, it marked the reconstruction of the campanile after the 1908 earthquake. The clock’s displays appear on several levels, facing both the square and the Cathedral.

The show lasted about 10 minutes, accompanied by Schubert’s Ave Maria. Boris recorded the entire performance, while I captured just a few short clips.

After the clock-tower show, we went for lunch. The fried calamari and delicious pizza were perfect. We strolled around town a bit more before heading back to the ship.Les mer