Audio Guide: Messina Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Messina

When German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe arrived in Messina in 1787, he traveled past “ruin after ruin” before reaching his inn. He encountered a city still scarred by a devastating earthquake four years earlier.

Messina, standing at the northeastern tip of Sicily beside the narrow strait separating the island from mainland Italy, has been shaped by the sea for nearly three thousand years. Its strategic harbor made it an important gateway to Sicily and a coveted prize for successive Mediterranean powers.

Greek settlers established a city here in the 8th century BC, naming it Zancle. The name derives from an ancient Sicilian word meaning “sickle,” a reference to the curved peninsula enclosing Messina’s remarkable natural harbor. Around 491 BC, Anaxilas, ruler of Rhegium across the strait, seized the city and renamed it Messene, after the Greek region of Messenia. Under Roman rule, the name evolved into Messana, from which the modern name Messina ultimately developed.

Messina prospered under the Romans thanks to its position on the Strait of Messina. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city passed through Byzantine and Arab rule before being captured by the Normans in 1061. During the Middle Ages, its harbor helped transform Messina into one of Sicily’s most important commercial centers, connecting the island with mainland Italy and the wider Mediterranean.

The city’s history, however, has been repeatedly interrupted by natural disasters. A devastating earthquake in 1783 destroyed much of Messina. An even greater catastrophe struck on December 28, 1908, when a powerful earthquake centered beneath the strait, followed by destructive waves and fires, devastated Messina and nearby Reggio Calabria. Tens of thousands of people were killed across the region, while much of historic Messina disappeared, fundamentally changing the appearance of the city.

Messina was subsequently rebuilt with broader streets and greater attention to earthquake-resistant construction. Further destruction during World War II required additional rebuilding, leaving the modern city with an unusual mixture of reconstructed historic monuments and predominantly 20th-century architecture.

Explore Messina’s historic center, beginning near the waterfront before discovering the medieval Church of the Most Holy Annunciation of the Catalans. Continue to magnificent Messina Cathedral, where the famous Bell Tower and elegant Orion Fountain dominate Cathedral Square. Climb toward the panoramic Shrine of Christ the King, then return through the bustling center and stroll along Giuseppe Garibaldi Avenue. Finish beside the monumental Fountain of Neptune, overlooking Messina’s harbor and the strait beyond.

More than two centuries after Goethe's visit, Messina tells a very different story. Set off from the waterfront and discover a city that has repeatedly rebuilt itself from the ruins, yet never lost sight of the sea that has shaped its story from the very beginning.