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Tourist information - Messina
Messina rises along the coast on a hilly area and is 3 metres above sea-level.
Main economic activities are agriculture and breeding and industry. Products mostly cultivated are cereals, forages, corn, olives, grapes, dried fruit and fruit in general. Breedings present are cattle, pig, horse and sheep ones.
In the VI century B.C. the original name of Messina was Zancle that in Greek means sickle and was referred to S. Ranieri's peninsula shape. In fact it was just in this place that the first centre was founded by colonies from Calcidia. The town changed its name in the V century B.C. into Messanion after Messeni's invasion. But it again changed its name into Massana during Roman domination and into Msna during Arabic domination till up the current name of Messina. In 396 B.C. it was destroyed by Chartaginians and was again built by Dionysus tyrant of Siracusa. In 263 B.C. it was conquered by Romans; in 843 by Arabs, then by Normans and Angevins.
Later it was dominated by Aragoneses and Spanishes and flourished considerably its trade. In the XVII century Messina rebelled against the avidity of Spanish government and, once suppressed the revolt, the town began to decay and previous privileges were annulled and was instituted the "Cittadella". It was a war machine for protection of the town. Messina was hit by the plague in 1743 and by an earthquake in 1783 which seriously damaged it. In 1847 and 1848 it took part to Risorgimento struggles. After the earthquake in 1908 the town was entirely destroyed but it was rebuilt changing completely its previous town-planning.
The most interesting monuments are the Cathedral of Norman period, restored in the last century; the bell-tower of it that has a famous astronomical clock. It was built in Strasbourg and was unveiled in 1933. Finally there are the Fountain of Orion built in 1547 and the Town Building.
Among important persons original of Messina we cite: the famous painter Antonello from Messina (1430-1479), the astronomist Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679), the patriot Giuseppe La Farina (1815-1863), and the europeanist Gaetano Martino (1900-1967) who was chancellor at the University of Rome.
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