Messina

We hadn't planned to stop in Messina but since we were driving through, we decided to stop for a couple hours to see the sites. It's a 45-minute drive from Taormina.

It was Saturday and we were able to find street parking near the Piazza Unita d'Italia.

You can see the Strait of Messina in the distance. The 3 km wide strait separates Sicily from mainland Italy.

Fontana di Nettuno.

Parrocchia S. Antonio Abate

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III--an indoor mall with restaurants.

It was Saturday morning and the mall was empty. Step inside to look at the grandeur.

Tiled floor.

Palazzo della Provincia

Duomo di Messina and the Bell Tower.

The Fontana di Orione also sits in the Piazza. It commemorates Orion, the mythical founder of Messina.

The bell tower has the world's largest astronomical clock.

It's an elaborate clock with multiple layers of animation.

The interior of the duomo is stark.

Largo San Giacomo

Seven Seas Splendor was in port that day.

Templo di Cristo Re in the distance.

Madonna della Lettera at the entrance to the port

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