The Messina (province) is the northeasternmost province of the triangular island Sicily.
Regions
The province of Messina roughly covers the northeastern tip of the triangular island of Sicily, from the provincial capital Messina with its large natural harbor on the Strait of Messina it stretches south to the north-eastern Etna areas and borders there on the Catania Province and along the steep north coast of Sicily to the west, along the mountains of the Nebrodi. The province also includes the Aeolian Islands.
places
Next to the provincial capital Messina is the one at the Strait of Messina cities Taormina and Giardini Naxos well worth a visit, on the north coast Milazzo, from which the ferry connections to the Aeolian Islands go off, and Sant'Agata di Militello.
Other goals
Of historical importance is next to the Archaeological parks of Taormina and Naxos the ancient Tyndaris worth seeing.
Nature lovers will be next to the gorge Gola dell'Alcantara with a visit to the natural park of the Nebrodi and the Riserva Naturale Orientata Fiumedinisi e Monte Scuderi to get their money's worth, provided that time can somehow be freed up, is a visit to the Etna almost a must for visitors to Sicily.
background
The Messina Province extends on a strip of land around the northeast corner of the island of Sicily, the most important cities are all close to the sea, the mountainous hinterland is sparsely populated and often poorly developed. Bathing opportunities arise especially in the northeast, against Palermo the already steep north coast of Sicily is often a mountainous cliff in which the motorway has to be guided in tunnels.
The strait Strait of Messina resp. the Stretto is known from the Odyssey, where the journey between the rocks of Scilla and Charybdis with the dog-headed monster Scylla, which devours sailors on the Calabrian and Charybdis, which sucks in the sea water with the ships three times a day to spit it out again, on the Sicilian side.
At the strait you can still see the pylons of a now dismantled high-voltage line, the project work on the road bridge over the Stretto are suspended once more due to unsecured funding.
Messina is for all Sicily visitors who make their way all over the place Boots of Italy until after Calabria have made and from Villa San Giovanni or Reggio di Calabria across the sea end of the Strait of Messina, the so-called Stretto translate, the arrival point on the island and starting point for getting to know Sicily. Even before you arrive in Messina and at the latest when you get off the ferry, it is worth considering whether you are going to the southeast part of the islandCatania, Siracusa and the baroque cities in the Val di Noto want to visit and go south, or rather Cefalù, Palermo, Trapani or even Marsala in the west are the travel destination and the drive should go west along the north coast.
Crossing the Sicilian island diagonally with your own motor vehicle may be attractive, it is definitely time-consuming and requires some enjoyment on winding country roads, public transport is almost only developed along the axes described above.
language
The island is used as an official language Italian The Sicilian dialect, which has different regional colors, is mostly spoken.
getting there
Most visitors get to know Messina by taking the ferry from Villa San Giovanni or Reggio di Calabria the ferries run every hour during the day and do not have to be booked in advance (round trip for a fully loaded car approx. 50 €).
National rail connections from the mainland are via a rail ferry up Messina and further after Catania or Palermo guided, the train loading is associated with some waiting times. From the train station Villa San Giovanni the ferry port can be reached on foot in a few minutes;
Is within Sicily Messina from west of Palermo over Cefalù - Sant'Agata di Militello - Milazzo off off Buonfornello toll motorway 
reachable, parallel to this leads the free but much more strenuous coastal road 
Settentrionale Sicula. The one that is also toll road leads from the south 
from the direction Syracuse - Catania along the coast Messina, also here it applies that the coastal road 
Oriental sicula Although toll-free, it is strenuous to drive on (through town, risk of traffic jams).
The province from the Strait of Messina to the north coast crosses the 
of Giardini Naxos to to San Biagio, a little further south the 
to Randazzo (actually still in the province of Catania) and further the 
ans Capo d'Orlando. To Sant'Agata di Militello leads the 
through the Nebrodi south to Cesarò, further west of it Santo Stefano di Camastra the 
to Nicosia (EN) also up to which is up shortly before Termini Imerese meanders through the mountainous hinterland in an east-west direction.
mobility
The rail connections follow the axes described above Palermo and Catania in the south, the hinterland is only accessible by bus connections, to visit the Nebrodi you have to use your private vehicle or a rented scooter.
Tourist Attractions
Of those mentioned in the local articles are Taormina with the Greco Theater and the Gola dell'Alcantara the most visited attractions.
activities
You can hike in the nature reserve regions of the Nebrodi and Mount Etna, bathing beaches can be found on the flatter coastal sections in the northeast of the province, and on the cliffs, the small bays are often overcrowded in summer.
kitchen
The Sicilian cuisine lives close to the sea on fish and seafood, in the hinterland on cheese, meat and sausage products and of course on the dolci, the sweet in baked form, or on ice cream and granite.
security
Apart from the big city Messina and tourist magnets like Taorminawhere pickpockets and occasional car break-ins are to be expected (here too, the usual recommendations apply not to leave any valuables behind in the vehicle, in any case not visible from the outside, and not to leave the motorhome with the ignition key in hand - then every experienced one knows Observer that camera and notebook are definitely still on board), the security situation in Sicily is problem-free. The tourist does not feel the influence of organized crime.
climate
In the region there is an arid Mediterranean climate, especially near the coast, in summer the temperatures can rise well above the thirty degree mark, in the mountains of the Nebrodi and in the Etna region sudden changes in weather must be expected, especially in spring and autumn. Since snowfalls can surprise you in winter, for which the street is not always prepared, snow chains are recommended in winter (the corresponding traffic signs occasionally provoke a smile in the summer heat ...)
| Messina | Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean highest air temperature in ° C | 14.5 | 14.8 | 16.0 | 18.3 | 22.4 | 26.4 | 29.7 | 29.9 | 27.2 | 22.9 | 18.7 | 15.7 | O | 21.4 |
| Mean lowest air temperature in ° C | 9.8 | 9.6 | 10.7 | 12.5 | 16.1 | 19.9 | 23.0 | 23.5 | 21.1 | 17.4 | 14.0 | 11.3 | O | 15.7 |
| Average water temperature in ° C | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 16 | O | 18.7 |
| Precipitation in mm | 113 | 98 | 84 | 60 | 32 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 55 | 109 | 107 | 117 | Σ | 832 |
| Rainy days in the month | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 12 | Σ | 87 |
| Length of sunshine per day | 3.7 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 8.3 | 9.8 | 10.7 | 9.9 | 8.0 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 3.6 | O | 6.8 |
Source: Wetterkontor | ||||||||||||||
