Orion Fountain in Messina

The Orion Fountain in Messina is a splendid monumental work that is worth visiting, offers a relevant glance and is located in Piazza del Duomo.

The Orion fountain in Messina

Among the main works present in the area of Messina there is the monumental Fountain of Orion made in 1553 by the great master Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli who was appreciated as a sculptor and great architect. Remembered by historians as one of the most beautiful fountains built in Renaissance era throughout the world, the Orion Fountain in Messina it is truly unmissable for its emotional impact and for the decorations created by the artist who decided to surprise with a work thought out down to the smallest detail.
The fountain was built in marble and was commissioned by Senate of the city of Messina in the year 1547 to celebrate in the memory of the city the creation of what was the first Messina aqueduct which allowed at the time to exploit the waters of the Bordonaro and Camaro streams. The fountain will then be positioned in the center of the square also thanks to the permission granted by Pope Paul III, who agreed to demolish an ancient medieval church dedicated to Saint Lawrence Martyr then moved slightly and revisited with one Renaissance style.

The project by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli

After the Senate of Messina he decided to commission the work and the Florentine sculptor was put in charge of the project Montorsoli who decided to accept with great enthusiasm. His student collaborated with him Martino Montanini and after careful consideration it was decided to represent Orione i.e. the mythical founder of the city, in his mythological features with triple paternity as generated from the urine of Jupiter, Neptune and Mercury, which is associated with the myth of the foundation of Messina in Legend of Orion.
The fountain was then developed into a pyramidal figure with Orion above and his faithful dog at his feet Sirio. Then there are many other elements present such as the tritons and the 4 statues which represent important rivers for the time and for the community, i.e. the Nile, the Tiber, the Ebro and the Camaro torrent. It took about 6 years to complete the work, which was so appreciated that Montorsoli himself was contacted again, this time to create a further fountain dedicated however to Nettuno.

The other beauties of the city of Messina

Messina is a city rich in art located in an extraordinary geographical position that allows you to enjoy a unique panorama of its kind, thanks to the strait of the same name. There are many artistic and cultural works to appreciate starting from Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica dedicated to the cult of Santa Maria Assunta and developed in Norman style architecture. We remember other religious structures that are worth visiting like the Church of the Annunciation of the Catalans with its beautiful shape reminiscent of it Byzantine style and without forgetting the Basilica Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua, with the the Shrine of Christ the King or the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Montalto constantly a destination for pilgrimages by faithful who come from all over Sicily and beyond.
Among the civil works not to be missed are Palazzo Zanca, the Vittorio Emanuele III Gallery, the Theater dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II e Palazzo Piacentini.

How to get to Messina

To reach Messina by car arriving from Palermo it is necessary to travel a 225 km journey which first crosses the A20 motorway and then partly also the E90 for a duration of approximately 2 and a half hours. Starting from Catania it is necessary to cover 96 km crossing the A18 motorway for a total of 70 minutes of travel.