We have had a short but entertaining stop in Messina, on Sicily. The Madonna is a great landmark on the way into the port, sits alongside ships of the Italian navy.

The Straits of Messina seperate the island of Sicily from mainland Italy. There is not a big gap to span and a bridge has long been planned between the island and the mainland. Plans have been drawn and abandoned over the years, the area is quite prone to seismic events which appear to have put authorities off the proposal. Recent studies also show that Sicily and Italy are actually slowly ‘drifting’ apart on seperate tectonic plates which make bridge construction problematic. So, they just have to keep using the ferries.

We had a short exploration around town, visiting the 12th century Cathedral and the more recent astronomical clock tower with all its characters doing their thing on the quarter hour. The church is quite spectacular, a great vault with all the European Catholic traditions. We were captured in the moment of a wedding in the Cathedral, the full thing, quite special experience. Homealone took a short video of the proceedings.

Messina was greatly damaged by a major earthquake in 1908 and much of the town has been rebuilt on the ruins. Statues and fountains are liberally scattered around the town.

Neptune looking out over the Straits to Italy is quite impressive. Neptune apparently ‘ripped’ Sicily away from the clutches of the heel of Italy and is quite revered.

One of our objectives here in Messina was to have a meal in local restaurant, away from those pesky tourists! Allthego had researched a place called ‘Casa & Putia’ (House & Home), a family affair.

Rather nice too, Homealone a bit disappointed with her choice but the white wine from the slopes of Mt Etna made up for it.
We were a hop step and a jump from the ship and made it back on board with 15 minutes to spare. Timing is everything! We are now on our way to Salerno.