Messina and the Eolie Islands
The Province of Messina can be defined as the "Land of Volcanoes" given its proximity to the Etna and the presence in its territory of Stromboli and Vulcano.
This is the province in Sicily with the highest influx of tourists. Some well-known towns are Taormina, one of the main tourist destinations in Sicily, and the Archipelago of the Eolie, that together with Messina and all the other cities in the Province with about 5 million tourists per year, make it the leader in Sicily regarding tourism and one of the leaders in southern Italy. In particular, the port of Messina receives 400.000 cruise passengers a year.
In Taormina it is compulsory to walk through the central avenue leaning out of the mythic viewpoint with a spectacular view of the Etna and of
Giardini Naxos, and to visit the beautiful cathedral. Especially noteworthy are also the Gole dell'Alcantara on the homonymous river on the border with the Province of Catania, located in the municipality of Motta Camastra in Fondaco Motta town and protected by a river park.
There are also the beautiful natural sceneries of Peloritani Mounts and the Park of the Nebrodi, plenty of woods; the whole coastline is famous for the beautiful beaches (Milazzo, Oliveri, Patti, Gioiosa Marea, Piraino, Brolo, Capo d'Orlando, Giardini Naxos, Taormina, Letojanni, Sant'Alessio Siculo, Santa Teresa di Riva); the archaeological areas of Tindari (with the famous greek theater), Alesa Arconidea and Naxos; the ceramic production of Santo Stefano di Camastra and Patti; the small and medium-sized historical centres; the wide variety of museums, the major summer events (The Festival of Taormina Art, and other events hosted in Tindari, Villa Piccolo
di Capo d'Orlando and Castroreale). Five municipalities in the Province of Messina are part of the exclusive club of the Most Beautiful Towns in Italy: Castelmola, Savoca, San Marco d'Alunzio, Novara di Sicilia, Montalbano Elicona. Finally, the cave of San Teodoro in the territory of Acquedolci, in which the eldest Paleolithic Sicilian burials were found (five skulls and two exceptionally complete skeletons) that provided a profound knowledge about the ancient inhabitants of Sicily.








