The museum of Messina is in ” Viale della Libertà”, along the seaside road from Messina to the lighthouse. It was opened in 1806 by Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti as a way to save and protect Art. It started off with some private collections and some paintings of Messina Senate. Today it hosts a great number of works rescued from the ruins of palaces and churches destroyed in the 1908 earthquake and in World War II but also important paintings by Caravaggio and Antonello da Messina. The museum is divided into different sections and in 14 different rooms where you can appreciate archeology, Medieval, Renaissance and later art, jewelry and craft.
At the entrance a statue of Neptune, made by Giovanni Montorsoli welcomes visitors. On the wall nine bronze panels describe the legend of the Holy Letter given by the Virgin Mary to Ambassadors from Messina, an event that made the “Madonna della Lettera” patron of the city.
In the fourth room you can enjoy one of Antonello da Messina masterpiece “The Polyptych of San Gregorio”.
The tenth room is devoted to Caravaggio who worked in Messina in his last period, between 1608 and 1609, with “The Adoration of the Shepherds” and “The Resurrection of Lazarus”.
In the thirteenth room, on the upper floor, there are precious creations in gold, silver and ivory, artistic cribs and majolicas made by artists and artisans from Messina.
The Regional Museum of Messina is actually the biggest museum of Southern Italy and a must-see for art lovers.
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