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the Saint on Mount Pellegrino. 3rd Day: Messina - Catania (approx. 95 Km)
Churches and Sanctuaries After breakfast departure to Catania, another
of Eastern Sicily 2nd Day: Palermo - Tindari - Messina (approx. city full of symbols and religious symbols. The
main place of worship is the Cathedral of St. Ag-
290 Km)
4 days Leaving Palermo to head to Messina we will visit atha, located in the historic center and dedicated
1st Day: Palermo the suggestive Sanctuary of the Black Madonna to the Virgin martyr and patron saint of the city.
The Via dei Crociferi, one of the oldest streets of
Visit of the historic centre of Palermo which has of Tindari. Built on a cliff overlooking the sea, it Catania, owes its name to the presence of four
countless places of worship, many of which have houses a unique statue of the Virgin Mary in ce- churches in a few hundred meters: the Church of
been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. dar wood. Legend has it that this Byzantine stat- San Benedetto, connected to the homonymous
The religious symbol of the city is certainly the ue was part of the cargo of a ship from the East convent, the Church of San Francesco Borgia, the
Cathedral where the relics of Saint Rosalie, Pa- that had found refuge from a storm in the bay Jesuit College with its charming cloister and the
troness of Palermo, are kept. You cannot miss a above the Sanctuary today. Only when the Stat- Church of San Giuliano. Another religious place
visit to another place that has made the capital ue of the Black Madonna was deposited ashore, remarkable is the Monastery of the Benedic-
famous all over the world: the Palatine Chapel; the ship was able to leave again. The afternoon tines, one of the largest monastery complexes in Business Proposals in Sicily
located inside the Norman Palace, it was erected is dedicated to the visit of Messina and another Europe.
in 1129 by King Roger II and dedicated to St. Pe- Sanctuary located on the Colle della Caperrina:
ter the Apostle. In the historical centre and close the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Montalto. The
to each other are the Church of Santa Caterina, history of this Sanctuary is linked to the war of Curiosity: in the month of February more than
which with its marble and frescoes is one of the the “Sicilian Vespers” in 1282, when it is said one million tourists and faithful arrive in Catania
most decorated in the city, the Church of Marto- that the Madonna appeared under the robes of for the Feast of St. Agatha. During this religious
rana, a perfect fusion of different artistic styles a White Lady who protected the people of Messi- celebration the remains of the Saint are transpor-
and the Church of San Cataldo famous for its red na. According to the legend it was the flight of ted in a silver coffin followed in procession by
cups. a white dove that determined the perimeter in hundreds of devotees dressed in the traditional
which the church would be built. “sack”. a tight white tunic and a black cap. The
Curiosity: on the night between the 14th and Curiosity: the Cathedral of Messina is next to a vara is followed by eleven “cannalori”, wooden
15th of July the feast of Santa Rosalia is celebra- bell tower about 60 meters high with a beautiful columns representing the city’s arts and crafts
ted in Palermo. Thousands of people accompany astronomical clock. At the stroke of noon the sta- guilds.
the “Carro della Santuzza” in a procession from tuettes of the clock begin to move to the sound
the Cathedral to the Foro Italico. This event cele- of the Ave Maria that echoes throughout the 4th Day: Departure
brates the liberation of the city from the plague square. After breakfast starts the round trip to destina-
in 1624, following the discovery of the relics of tion
Tindari: Santuario della Madonna Nera - Tindari: Sanctuary of Black Madonna of Tindari

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Itinerari Religiosi Religious Tours