Short Visit to Messina with kids

October was the perfect period to explore Sicily with kids for many reasons: not crowded, not hot and inexpensive accommodation. We spent two unforgettable hours at a central square in Messina staring at its main attraction The Bell Tower.

Bell Tower of Messina

We entered Sicily via the Port of Messina — also the commercial and cultural center. We didn’t stay there for a long time. Just two hours was enough time to visit the main attractions. The Piazza Duomo with its monumental fountain created by Michelangelo’s disciple, Buonarroti, and the cathedral with the bell tower. The tower contains the most significant and most complex mechanical and astronomical clock in the world.

The main attraction in Messina

Every day at noon, there is a 12-minute show. It starts with the giant bronze lion (an ancient symbol of Messina) moving and loudly roaring a few times. Now I’ve prepared you! Because if you have a coffee at noon in the Piazza Duomo and not expect to hear roaring, you could be a little frightened and think that a lion has fled from the zoo. We felt like that for a moment. It sounded so real and impressive.

The lion was followed by a large rooster, crowing with its moving wings. The children were astonished looking at these figures as if they were hypnotic. Particularly impressive is the section in which the figures of saints and angels move with the sounds of Ave Maria.

If you travel to Sicily, you might find some inspiration in our travel stories, because we try to see things from the new point of view.