Ionian Coast - Sicily - page 331

Sights

1 Duomo B3

2 Fontana del Nettuno C1

3 Fontana di Orione B3

4 Madonnino del Porto C1

5 Piazza Del Duomo B3

Sleeping

6 Hotel Cairoli B5

7 Royal Palace Hotel C6

Eating

8 Osteria Del Campanile B3

9 Trattoria Dudù A6

Sights & Activities

Duomo
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(Piazza del Duomo; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat, 7.30am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Sun) Messina's one great sight is the
Norman Duomo, one of Sicily's finest cathedrals, or at least a faithful replica of one of Si-
cily's finest cathedrals. It holds an impressive carved altar and a huge inlaid organ, the
third largest in Europe. The original cathedral was built in the 12th century and accident-
ally burnt to the ground in 1254. It was rebuilt several times.
The earthquakes of 1783 and 1908 destroyed it, and the structure was ruined again
when a WWII incendiary bomb reduced it to rubble in 1943. Very little remains of the ori-
ginal structure, except for the stripy marble inlay, the tracery of the facade and the fantast-
ic Catalan Gothic portal. Treasures such as the famous Manta d'Oro (Golden Mantle),
used to 'cloak' holy pictures during religious celebrations, are kept in the Museo della
Cattedrale.

CATHEDRAL

Piazza Del Duomo
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