1° Day: Arrival

 Meeting with our tour leader who will accompany the participants to the hotel in Messina Accommodation at the reserved hotel rooms, dinner and overnight stay.

2° Day: Cathedral  - The Treasure of the Cathedral of Messina - Bell Tower.

After breakfast, we will reach the Cathedral of Messina dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. Inside it, we will admire the XV century mosaics, some funerary monuments and some Saint’s statutes, including Saint John the Baptist of Antonello Gagini dating back to the 1525.

The church also contains a big organ, made by the Tamburini firm. With its 16.000 pipes, it is the second in Italy, after the one in Milano and one of the biggest in Europe.

At twelve noon, we will admire the movement of the mechanism of the bell tower. All the gilded bronze statues move thanks to a complex system of counterweight, levers and gears, telling us the civil and religious history of Messina.

The lion, holding the city banner, symbolises its strength and roars three times. The cock, a symbol of the reawakening of consciences, crows three times, moving the head and opening the wings. Dina and Clarenza, heroines of the city, ring the bells. The Ave Maria of Schubert accompanies the movements.

We will continue with the visit to the “Treasure of the Cathedral”, created for the 2000 Jubilee, containing about four hundreds works dating back from the X century to the XX century, mostly the work of Messina’s goldsmiths and silversmiths. The absolute masterpiece kept in this museum is “The Madonna of the Letter’s Gold Mantle”, made in 1668 by the goldsmith Innocenzo Mangani, it is chiselled gold, covered with precious jewels.

Tasting of typical local in the Old Zanca Palace and visit of the “Antiquarium”.

Visit to the bell tower of the Cathedral to see at a short distance the complex mechanism of the clock and enjoy an amazing view of the city.

Walk in the streets of the city, return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

3° Day: Tindari – Patti

Breakfast at the hotel and departure towards the Shriny dedicated to the Black Virgin of Tindari, one of the most famous shrinies in Europe. Inside it, there is the wooden statue of the Black Virgin dating back to 750 A.C. or to the period of the Crusades.

 In this lovely old village the cult of the Black Madonna is related to a legend according to which a vessel had taken refuge in the Bay of Tindari to escape from the storm. When It stopped raining, the sailors were unable to start the boat, so they decided to lighten it.They realized in one box  there was hidden a statue of  Black Vergin Mary, perhaps to save it from the iconoclast persecution. Before sailing again, the sailors decided to leave the image of the Madonna on the highest hill of the village,

You can also visit the Greek RomanTheater built by the Greeks in the third century BC Lunch in a restaurant of Patti, one of the main cities of the Tyrrhenian coast.

Here, we will admire the Basilica Cathedral, dating  back to the eleventh century. It houses the sarcophagus of Adelaide del Vasto, the first Queen of Sicily. Under the churchyard you can visit the Gallery, hosting some interesting historical artifacts.

Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay

4°Day: Cristo Re Shryne – Monastery of Montevergine -  Regional Museum of Messina

After the breakfast we will reach the  Cristo Re's Shryne, It has one of the biggest working  bells in Italy. At sunset it  tolls  as a sign of respect and honor for Second World War fallen soldiers.

Then, we will find out some details and places related to the life of Eustochia, born in 1434 in Messina, founder of the Monastery of Montevergine. In 1988 Eustochia was proclaimed Saint by  John Paul II. Also we will follow the footsteps of Antonello da Messina, an important  painter of Italian Renaissance period.. According to some critics, Eustochia posed as model for the “Virgin Anunciate”, one of the most famous works of Antonello da Messina.

After the lunch in a typical restaurant, we will go to the Regional Museum of Messina where we will admire some sculptures , mosaics and pottery made by local manufacturers.

The museum also features notableart works of Caravaggio (la Resurrezione di Lazzaro and Adorazione dei Pastori) and Antonello da Messina (Polittico di San Gregorio).

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

5°Day:Syracuse - Our Lady of Tears Shrine -Catacombs of St. John - Crypt of St. Marziano - Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro

Breakfast at hotel and departure to Syracuse, one of the most important cities of the " Magna Grecia". We will reach the  Our Lady of Tears Shrine. After attending  the Divine  Liturgy we will take the  lunch in a restaurant.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Catacombs of the Christian Martyr St. John , the Crypt  of St. Marciano and the Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro

Short visit to Ortigia Island and its Cathedral. Return to hotel , dinner and overnight stay.

6°Day Catania - Riviera dei Ciclopi.

After the lunch, tasting  a lot of typical Sicilian products (arancini, cipollina, schiacciata, cannolo , etc) at one of the most famous pastries of the city, we will reach the Riviera dei Ciclopi, one of the most popular Sicilian seaside destination. Visit of Acicastello and Acitrezza.  Return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

7° Giorno: Taormina - Our Lady of the Rock Shriny - Castelmola.

Breakfast and departure towards Taormina . After a walk along the streets of the "Ionian Pearl" , we will reach the  Our Lady of the Rock Shriny, located on a scenic hill, so called because it was carved in a  solid rock . Its origin is associate to a myth . In the large squareof the shriny there is a large cemente  cross which overlooks Taormina . Lunch in a typical restaurant .

We will reach the nearby medieval town of Castelmola  to visit the Castle, some characteristic churches as the Cathedral, dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, and its  paintings of value. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight .