Messina, Italy

Founded by Greek and located near the northeast corner of Sicily, Messina is the third largest city of the island. The city is well known for the Norman Messina Cathedral and the astronomical clock on the bell tower. Nearby are beautiful fountains of marble, which are decorated with mythological figures such as the Fontana di Orione or the Neptune Fountain. Messina has an incredibly rich and fascinating history, which I would recommend anyone to learn at least a little bit when visiting.

If you have the chance, you should definitely go to the top of the astronomical clock tower. For some odd reason, they said most people are not willing to pay a few dollars for the view. We went ahead to check it out and it is by far one of the most gorgeous views we have ever seen. It's a complete 360° panorama view of the entire city, which you can see pretty much everything. Despite the wind, it's absolutely breathtaking and romantic. This is an absolute MUST for anyone that has the chance to go up.

Otherwise the city has a lot of beautiful buildings and a rich history. The fountains are beautiful and the coffee is great. You should also check out the churches, as some of you might know, I find churches fascinating. I typically try to visit as many as possible when traveling, as I am fascinated by the architecture and design all over the world.

Before heading back, we ate at a pizza restaurant; not only was it super cheap, but it was super delicious! Despite all it offers, more than weekend is not needed. It's a relatively small city and you will most likely see everything within a day or two.