The five fountains of Messina: journey between history and legend

The touristic routes to discover Messina are so many. But there is one in particular that tells not only the story but also the legends related to the city of the Strait. A journey in five stages to admire the five fountains of Messina.

Fontana di Orione – An inevitable stop on any itinerary to visit Messina in a day. It is a monumental fountain located in Piazza Duomo, facing the Cathedral: its structure is pyramidal, and at the top there is Orion with his faithful dog Sirius. One of the most important fountains of Messina and, for no other reason, the legend of Orion is closely linked to the mythology of the city.

Fontana di Nettuno – Represents the god Neptune, calm and invincible, wielding his trident. At his feet are Scylla and Charybdis, the two monsters who lived in the Strait. Originally the statue was located on the front of Palazzata on the docks, with their backs to the sea: it symbolized the god, just got out of the water, blessing the city of Messina. Today the statue is located to the north, facing the sea, as if to bless the sailors.

Fontana Falconieri – It is located on top of the hill of Via Sant’Agostino, Piazza Basicò. And the fountain, with stand and the two stepped octagonal, takes the shape of the square. It is composed of a series of tanks disposed on more levels. On the outside of the cubes of the main tank are arranged four iron cast monsters with heads of man, dolphin, lion and griffin.

Fontana Senatoria – In Via Consolato dal mare, near the Town Hall. The main part of the fountain is composed of a large cup of marble supported by a circular pedestal and culminating with a pine cone.

Quattro Fontane – Once in the open space created by via Austria and via Cardines cross, there are four fountains: placed between 1666 and 1742 very similar to each other, in the Baroque style, even though they were created by different sculptors in different eras. Today there are only two of them left kept in the City Museum of Messina.

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/vitomanzari