Sicily offers so much to visitors that it’s impossible to fit everything on one page. Below you will find links to in-depth information on Sicilian Cities, including the history which shaped the city. Also listed are the must-see tourist places in Sicily. We’ve also added a guide to the Islands surrounding Sicily as these are very popular tourist destinations.

Agrigento

Caltanissetta

Catania

Cefalù

Enna

Islands off the coast Sicily

Messina

Palermo

Ragusa

Siracusa

Taormina

Trapani

To find the ideal time to visit Sicilian cities based on your holiday plan and personal preferences, check out the ‘Book a Sicily Holiday’ section of SicilyHoliday.Info.

Messina was founded by the Greek during the 8th century BC and was called Zancle originally due to the shape of its natural harbour. It would not be until the early 5th century BC when Anaxilas of Rhegium renamed the city to Messene in order to honor the Greek city Messene

Messina is also considered to be the most likely the harbor that the Black Death had entered Europe during the Middle Ages.

During the end of 1908, the city was totally devistated by not only an earthquake but the tsunami that was associated with the same earthquake in which over 60,000 people were killed and most of the ancient architecture was completely destroyed and although the city was rebuilt a year latter, the city was again destroyed during the 1943 allied foces bombings.

The city of Messina features several ancient items of architecture that were not completely destroyed by the combination of earthquakes, tsunamis and allied forces, which includes the Annunziata dei Catalani which was built during the late 12th to the early13th century and dates originally from the late Norman period but it had been transformed during the 13th century when the building’s nave had been shortened as well as the addition of a façade. Several other ancient buildings also include the Santa Maria degli Alemanni which was most likely built in the early 13th century and belonged to the Knights of Malta, the Sanctuary of Montevergine which houses the body of Saint Eustochia Smeralda Calafato, the Palazzo Calapaj which is near the Duomo and is an example of 18th century Messinese architecture, the Fountain of Orion as well as the Fountain of Neptune which were built and designed by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli in the 16th century, the Senatory Fountain which was built in 1619, the Four Fountains, the San Ranieri Lighthouse which was built in 1555 and the Pylon which was built in 1957.

The Pylon was built so that a 220kV-overhead power line could be fed across the Strait of Messina and at the time of the Pylon’s construction it was considered to be the highest in the world. To keep the Pylons a protected and historical monument, the power line was replaced by an underwater power line which left the Pylons to be a must see place to visit for tourist since 2006 when the underwater power line was created.