What is there to see in Messina Sicily?

In the Regional Museum, there’s a room dedicated to Caravaggio, with two of his last famous masterpieces.

We were there a year ago, on a Viking cruise; we didn't spend much time in Messina itself, but we did take an excursion that left from there.

Near Messina are a couple of small towns where scenes in all three Godfather movies were filmed; being a huge fan of the movies, I was eager to see the spots.

If you remember Godfather Part 1, you may remember the scene where Michael meets the father of Apollonia, who he soon marries, and who dies in an explosion; the cafe from the movie is still there, and we stopped there and had coffee. There were other sites as well (two churches, other spots) from that movie and from Godfather II & III as well.

Not only was it interesting from that perspective, but we got to see some typical Sicilian hilltop towns; a great day out. If you can find a local tour guide who does that tour, I'd highly recommend it.

I think it's fair to say Messina isn't one of Sicily's highlights. I'm sure it would be worth seeing the interior of the cathedral. I walked around the city for a couple of hours one day and didn't stumble on anything of particular note, but I hadn't researched Messina and definitely could have missed some worthwhile sights.

You can easily hop on a train to Taormina (glitzy) or Catania (much less so). If you prefer picturesque smaller places, consider Acireale (between Taormina and Catania).

I don't know whether it would be practical, time-wise, to take a train west to Milazzo and hop on a boat to the Aeolian Islands. That might be more than a one-day trip.

While in Messina you can see Calabria (across the Strait)

Now, Roberto. That wasn't nice.