Tindari Fraction of Patti

Tindari Fraction of Patti

Tindari, a fraction of Patti in the province of Messina, is located on a coastal promontory that protrudes from a height of 268 meters overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea below, dominating the Marinello lakes nature reserve which can be reached using a path called Foxtail which also touches the archaeological park and the sacred area.

History of Tindari fraction of Patti

Strabo and Ptolemy indicate that Tyndaris owes its name to the Greek Τυνδαρίς later Latinized into Tyndaris and the ancient denomination makes explicit reference to the Spartan king Tindaro.
The city was founded in 396 BC by Dionysius I of Syracuse to house the Syracusan mercenaries after the war against Carthage occurred in Tripi. Syracuse was dominated by Hieron II and during the first Punic war it was used as a base for the Carthaginian ships and, in 257 BC, the battle of Tindari was fought against the Roman fleet commanded by Aulus Atilius Calatinus who won the fight.
It was then that the whole area of ​​Syracuse passed under Roman domination and the city became the base for the ships of Sextus Pompeius.

Syracuse, in 36 BC was taken by Augustus who established the Colonia Augusta Tyndaritanorum. A powerful landslide occurred during the first century after Christ, the city suffered serious damage to which two earthquakes were added during the fourth century.
Conquered by the Byzantines in 535 it passed under Arab domination in 836 who destroyed it leaving only the Sanctuary dedicated to Black Madonna.

Architecture and works of art present in Tindari fraction of Patti

Pole of attraction is the Sanctuary of Tindari for some years promoted to Pontifical basilica which is located on the promontory overlooking the sea, more or less where the acropolis was and which took the place of a small church built on the remains of the now abandoned city.
The interest is due to the fact that the Sanctuary houses the wooden statue of the Black Madonna. It is a sculpture on cedar wood whose origin and age are unknown. It is speculated that it may have come in Sicily from Egypt due to the iconoclasm prevailing during the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. The Madonna holds the Child in her arms and is adorned with a crown. The singularity of her is given by the black color of the skin and the rather elongated configuration of the face which is rare to find in statues sculpted in the West.

Legend has it that a miracle is linked to the statue which narrates that a mother, coming from the hinterland together with her little girl, went to the Sanctuary to ask for a favor but in the presence of the Black Madonna she was surprised by her appearance, saying that she had done so much in vain way to ask for a miracle from such an ugly statue.
The little girl, running away from her mother, fell into the precipice and fell towards the cliff, but suddenly the waters of the sea receded, originating the Marinello lakes and cushioning the fall of the little girl who was saved as if nothing had happened.

After the visit to the religious building, it is suggested not to miss the exploration of the archaeological area which is still in a fairly good state of conservation. Excavated several times both in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, ceramics, sculptures and mosaics have been brought to light which are visible in part at the local museum and the rest at the Regional Archaeological Museum of Palermo.
What can be seen as an urban fabric almost certainly dates back to the time of the foundation of the city and has a regular checkered layout that is divided into three decumani - that is, the main roads - which intersect at right angles forming hinges and secondary roads. The upper decumanus was probably the most important and runs alongside the theater on one side while on the other it flows into the agora which, in the highest part, now houses the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna.

Also interesting are the walls of which you can see the remains, probably attributable to a reconstruction dating back to the third century BC which traced a previous wall and which was subsequently remodeled during the imperial era.
The walls unraveled for about three kilometers and had a double curtain with two parallel sandstone walls which originally reached a height of almost seven metres. All around, at variable distances, square towers rose as evidenced by one of these which still retains a piece of the stairway that led to its top.

The theatre, dating back to the XNUMXth century BC, is in Greek style and subsequently revisited in Roman times to make it a venue for games. Remained in a state of neglect for a very long time and known only for engravings made in the XNUMXth century, the theater was leaning against the hollow of the hill where the bleachers were built and could accommodate about three thousand spectators. The Romans added a brick portico and rebuilt the scene of which only an arch and foundations remain.

What you can do in the surroundings or Tindari fraction of Patti

To explore the scenic nature reserve Marinello lakes, where there are picturesque lakes and extensive beaches full of unspoilt natural beauty.
Fans hiking and walking they can devote themselves to discovering the Tindari nature trail, known as Coda di Volpe, which allows you to admire primitive landscapes surrounded by nature.
Do not miss marinello beach where an ancient legend tells that inside the cave on this beach lived a sorceress who killed the sailors after bewitching them with her song.
Weather permitting we suggest the visit of Milazzo to take a walk that leads to Pool of Venus.
Not far from Tindari is the beautiful village Montalbano Elicona absolutely not to be missed as well as the Basilica of Patti.

How is it possible to get to Tindari fraction of Patti

By car:
To get to Tindari by car, take the Palermo-Messina motorway. For those arriving from Palermo it is necessary to take the Patti exit, while those arriving from Messina must take the Falcone exit. Then you must continue on the SS 113 up to the crossroads for Tindari.

© Peppucc10, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Scott Wylie from UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Effems, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons