What you have to see in Messina Sicily

Duomo di Messina This Cathedral, a fine example of Sicilian Norman architecture, has retained its original medieval lines even after a long history It was built under Roger II, consecrated in 1197, destroyed in the 1908 earthquake and rebuilt The bell tower and astronomical clock of the cathedral of Messina will undoubtedly amaze you as it has been amazing to people since 1933 when it was inaugurated. After many times it was destroyed due to the many earthquakes, in 1930 the Archbishop of Messina Angelo Paino, finally, decided to rebuild it. Thanks to a model of the Strasbourg clock that Pope Pius XI gave him after the earthquake of 1908, he asked the Ungerer firm of Strasbourg to design the astronomical clock. Messina Bell Tower, with its 48 meters for the clock and 12 for the pinnacle, is 60 meters tall with a square base of 9.6 square meters and is considered to be the world’s biggest and more complex astronomical and mechanical clock. It displays a 12-minute-long performance composed of various carousels and moving statues that makes the watcher feel completely hypnotized while Shubert’s Ave Maria propagates through the air. The performance narrates biblical and allegorical scenes linked to the history of the city. So next time you’re in Messina what to see if not the clock and the show displayed by the bell tower? It is located near the cathedral and is impossible to miss. (Discover Messina.com)