Messina & its Art

by coach & on foot

Your Messina art experience starts with a city drive along the wide boulevards passing through Piazza Municipio, the Via Garibaldi, Piazza Cairoli, past Via Cannizzaro (the University and the Law Court) and Corso Cavour. A photo stop will be made at the Cristo Re Church viewpoint.

Your drive will then bring you to the north side of the city for your visit to the Regional Museum of Messina, known to the locals as MuMe. It is probably one of the most underrated places to visit in Messina and the hidden treasures here will leave you astonished. The museum is famous for its paintings by Caravaggio including “Adoration of the Shepherds” and the “Raising of Lazarus”, as well as works by Antonello da Messina.

Now housed in a modern building, the original art collections came from the Museo Civico. After the earthquake in 1908 the collection was expanded with the addition of paintings, sculptures and precious decorative works from damaged or destroyed buildings. There is now a collection of paintings and sculptures by both internationally known and local artists, together with a variety of other objet d’art mainly from the 12th to 18th centuries.

Leaving the museum, reboard your coach for a drive to your last stop at the Cathedral Square for a visit to the church with its astronomical clock tower, before returning to the ship.