Messina is a city of Sicily particularly appreciated by many tourists who visit the island as it offers many interesting attractions such as the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum. The city is one of the largest on the island and has an ancient and fascinating history to discover.
Its geographical position has made it a point of contact between different cultures. It is also the gateway to Sicily. Messina has a rich artistic and cultural heritage to explore discovering the most important buildings and monuments of the Sicilian city.
Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina, what is it and where is it located?
The Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina is one of the most important and prestigious exhibition areas of southern Italy also known as Mu.me.
It is located in a former spinning mill of the late 1800s that has been renovated precisely to allow the exhibition of the various collections. Here there are paintings, art objects, sculptures and decorative artifacts that illustrate the figurative art of Messina from the twelfth to the eighteenth century. In fact, works by prestigious artists such as Caravaggio are on display.
The history of the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina
The first Museum of the Sicilian city of Messina was founded in 1808 on the initiative of Carmelo La Farina. In 1880 the museum was transferred to the monastery attached to the church of San Gregorio.
In 1976 it was named Regional Museum and in 1991 the current layout was started. Today this occupies a total area of 17 thousand square meters including the outdoor areas and squares where there are striking architectural elements. The works here are seven hundred and fifty and trace a time span between the foundation of the Sicilian city and the beginning of the twentieth century.
Undoubtedly the history of the Museum is linked to that of Caravaggio who fled from Malta and took refuge in Sicily. Here he stopped from 1608 to 1609, creating some important works such as The Resurrection of Lazarus and the Adoration of the Shepherds that he painted in Messina. Today the two works are exhibited in the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum.
Foto : Normanno
Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina, what to see
The exhibition inside the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina follows a chronological order. Once you enter the first area you meet is the one dedicated to archaeology. Here there are prehistoric artifacts and works from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The following rooms display masterpieces from the Middle Ages onwards. You can admire the works of great masters of Italian art such as Antonello da Messina, Annibale Caracci, Girolamo Alibrandi and Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli. There are also the two famous masterpieces of Caravaggio. In addition to the works of the Italian Masters, the museum also exhibits jewelry made over the centuries by Messinese goldsmiths.
The collection consists mainly of devotional golds from the Cathedral of Messina.Infine mume is also an open-air museum because outside you can admire stone material of different eras. Here are exposed the original capitals of the Cathedral of Messina.
Messina, the tourist attractions not to be missed
Messina is a city that offers a lot to see such as the church Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani. This is one of the most famous buildings in Messina and was built around the twelfth century and has an Arab Norman architectural style.
Because of the earthquakes that have destabilized this territory, the church is now three meters below street level. The outside of the church houses the bronze statue dedicated to Don Giovanni of Austria. Another important building of Messina is the Shrine of Christ the King. This has an octagonal shape and at its top stands a dome. Another sumptuous building not to be missed is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This was built in the 1930s in Art Nouveau style.
The floor consists of mosaics. In the center there is a glazed dome. Not far from here is the theater of the same name. This neo-baroque building is located near the sea.
It was built in the early 1800s. Finally another place to visit in Messina is the University Botanical Garden that was inaugurated in 1638 and is dedicated to the physician and botanist Pietro Castelli. This is a green area within which you can walk through various species of exotic plants.
Copertina: Normanno
