Messina - How to see at much as possible

[Summerprincess]

We are visiting Messina in October, 2017, and will be in port 7am to 7pm. We are planning to take ship excursion to Taormina from 8:30 to 12:30. Then we would like to go into Messina and see the Duomo and the Regional Museum. Does anyone have any insight about if it is okay to walk from the ship to the Duomo and then probably take a taxi to The Regional Museum. Is it safe to take taxis in Messina? I would certainly appreciate any insight or help/suggestions anyone has to help us plan this as well as possible. Thank you!

[Flatbush Flyer]

We are visiting Messina in October, 2017, and will be in port 7am to 7pm. We are planning to take ship excursion to Taormina from 8:30 to 12:30. Then we would like to go into Messina and see the Duomo and the Regional Museum. Does anyone have any insight about if it is okay to walk from the ship to the Duomo and then probably take a taxi to The Regional Museum. Is it safe to take taxis in Messina? I would certainly appreciate any insight or help/suggestions anyone has to help us plan this as well as possible. Thank you!

 

 

Sicily with Mario. Outstanding. Check him out on Trip Advisor.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[edinburgher]

We have been to Messina three times. The Duomo is a 5 minute walk from the port gates. Unfortunately you will miss the 12 noon bells when all the moving parts on the different levels of belltower move, the lion roars etc. It is actually worth seeing and crowds gather there shortly before noon.

 

As for the museum, according to Tripadvisor reviews you can reach it by tram. It appears to be the last stop heading north, which I think is the same side of the street as the port as we used the tram to head south and crossed the street to board. We bought our tickets in a shop which I think was one street behind the main road.

 

Ask at the port gate. There were many staff on hand who pointed us in the direction of the shop with tickets. We bought for both ways at the same time. Remember to validate your tickets each time you use them. There were also taxis. The tram stops were at most a 2 minute walk from the gates.

 

And check the opening hours of the museum, as it is S Italy and some will close in the afternoons reopening around 4pm or so.

 

I know you have Taormina in the morning, but depending on shorex timing, consider if you can an additional afternoon shorex to the "Godfather Villages". The scenery was simply stunning.

[euro cruiser]

The museum is open all day, from 9 AM - 6:30 PM Tuesday - Saturday. It's also open on Sunday mornings from 9 - 12:30, but closed all day on Mondays.

 

The official address of the museum is on Viale della Liberta but if you want to see the pedestrian entrance on a google map use the intersection of Viale della Liberta and Via Giuseppe Grosso Cacopardi, the entrance is just off Cacopardi.

 

As noted above, the Duomo is just steps from the cruise port. To see the port use Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 47 on a google map.

 

There is a tram that runs along Via Vittorio Emanuele that you can take to the museum. The closest stop to the cruise port is called Municipio and it's located two-tenths of a mile north of the cruise port. Use Via Vittorio Emanuele 96 on a google map to see the location.

 

The museo stop is the end of the tram line, about a 15 minute ride. You can see the schedule and the tram route here: http://www.atm.messina.it/servizi.php?men=2

 

Museum info here: http://www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/dirbenicult/database/page_musei/pagina_musei.asp?id=5&idsito=43

[Flatbush Flyer]

We have been to Messina three times. The Duomo is a 5 minute walk from the port gates. Unfortunately you will miss the 12 noon bells when all the moving parts on the different levels of belltower move, the lion roars etc. It is actually worth seeing and crowds gather there shortly before noon.

 

 

 

As for the museum, according to Tripadvisor reviews you can reach it by tram. It appears to be the last stop heading north, which I think is the same side of the street as the port as we used the tram to head south and crossed the street to board. We bought our tickets in a shop which I think was one street behind the main road.

 

 

 

Ask at the port gate. There were many staff on hand who pointed us in the direction of the shop with tickets. We bought for both ways at the same time. Remember to validate your tickets each time you use them. There were also taxis. The tram stops were at most a 2 minute walk from the gates.

 

 

 

And check the opening hours of the museum, as it is S Italy and some will close in the afternoons reopening around 4pm or so.

 

 

 

I know you have Taormina in the morning, but depending on shorex timing, consider if you can an additional afternoon shorex to the "Godfather Villages". The scenery was simply stunning.

 

 

In referring to "The Godfather," some of the scenes (e.g., wedding at Chiesa di San Nicolò/Santa Lucia, Bar Vitelli) were shot in Savoca, a mountaintop commune just north of Taormina in the Province of Messina. Kind of sad that it is remembered more for a film than just for its own charm and natural beauty.

 

The other mountaintop "village" (actually also a commune) you may be referring to is Castelmola, where one can find spectacular views of Taormina and the Med below.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[edinburgher]

One of the villages on the "Godfather" tour was indeed Savoca, but the other was Forza D'Agro..

Although both were used in some scenes, we had little interest in that aspect, as we went for the stunning views from both and their own charm. They are both beautiful villages to stroll around.

Having done the Taormina/Mount Etna visit the first time, and Messina itself the second time, we wanted something a bit different on our third visit.