Messina Off The Beaten Path

Messina is a large port city, the gateway to Sicily from the mainland of Italy, with the port filled with water vessels from the rowboats to the large cruise ships, but walk a couple of blocks inland and the streets come alive with homes, businesses, and vendors of food. I always find the fruit vendors carts are most helpful to satisfy the thirst one builds up from walking a city.

Plucking a fresh orange or an apricot from the cart, will not only cleanse the palate and refresh you, but a world of conversation with the vendor as you attempt "how much" in your limited Italian to pay for it. Not only do they give you the answer " in English" but will act as if they knew you for years. What a neat way to learn about the people and city you are visiting. In Messina, the carts come alive with conversation.

Situated in the harbor of Messina, in the Falcata Zone, stands the old fort walls with a large inscription " Vos et ipsam civitatem benedecimas" ( We bless you and your city) written on the side with a tower that rises to a large statue of the "Blessing Madonna", the protectress of Messina who legend has it gave a letter to the people of the city through an embassy official of Messina. The monument was lit up, electrically, by Marconi in 1934 with a radio remote signal from the Vatican in Rome.

In Italy, we've talking about the famous bridge over the Messina strait for the latest 30 years! Nobody seems to be able to take a final decision as there is a mixture of technical problemes (eartquake prone area, environmental impact...), social problems (temporary job creation vs. strong mafia-influenced environment) and economical problems (is it really worth to save 30 minutes in crossing by bridge while the mototrways network on both sides is so poor?)
Anyway, this is the point where the pillar should be, by the Sicilian side - very close to Ganzirri.

The area around Messina strait is famous because of the swordfish fishing system they use to catch that huge fishes. In the picture you see one of them: the man from above is the one who will spot the fish.. quite brave!

A few km North of Messina there are two tiny lakes named after the location nearby: Ganzirri. It is definitely a lovely and peaceful place to visit, while the city of Messina itself is not that much interesting.

Faro is a district a few Km off the city centre, easily reacheable by bus and car.
It is situated at the farther point of Messina, nearby the lakes of Ganzirri . Just a simple district of simple people and fishermen activity.
Its beaches are very crowded in summer and of dance and music events.
Good pizzerias and fish eating places too all around.

On the same coast, North of Messina, not too far from the city is the Ganzirri lake.

It is of marine origine, formed by sand, as is the Faro lake. It has an elongated form and its surface is 338.400 square meters with a depth of 6.50 meters.

The narrow part of the lake is near the mountain side where a natural source of mineral water can be found. Gas bubbing can be seen as well. The locals tell about a phenomenon in which rain can be predicted by an increase or decrease in the gasses. It is an almost closed off lake, it periodically connect to the sea by means of two canals.
A third canal connect it to the lake Faro.

Its unique enviroment aids in the proliferation of crostaceans. Mussels and clans are cultiveted in this lake.

Near the Cape Peloro lies lake Faro which is smaller and rounder than the Ganzirri. The higher volume of water is due to its depth which is about 28 meters deep and is in comunication with the sea by means of two canals. The fauna is richer and more diverse than the Ganzirri lake; anchovies, branzini, eels, saraghi, spigole, orate, cefali may be found there.
Both lakes, however offer the tourist extraordinary beauty and especially in summer, offer a calm and tranquil haven.

The mountain chain called the Peloritani, that surrounds Messina, offers beautiful scenery and a ridge from which two seans may be seen, and culminates in the Rocca Salvateste area at the mountain peak of Novara and continues into a small plain at the summit of Monte Scuderi and finally end at the summit of Dinnamare, the nearest city.

There are many different touristic itineraries on the Peloritani. One of the most inexpensive and breathtaking excursions, which can be done little by little or withouth stops is easily accessible by a two hour bus trip that leaves from the city and begins in "Masse".

The visibility from the bus is better than from a car for obvious season, the bus being talker then a car. I every season this itinerary, offers an extrordinary scenery. In springtime, the citrus trees may even still have fruit on them as well as flowers that inebriate with their delicate scent called "zagara" or the orange flower.

There is an alternating of arrid mountains, green valleys, rock-filled streams surrounded by Spanish broon, flowered praires, cultivated fields and noisy teeds. There is a view of two seas: the Ionio and the Tirrenean divided by the steap mountain ridge of the Peloritani. Towards the South, past Dinnamare, if one takes a road not to far off the main road of Castanea, the snowy peaks of Etna can be seen , at the extreme northen point, there is a linghthouse that faces the strait of Messina, and directly at its side, as if two lucid eyes tie the two lakes, the Faro and the Ganzirri.