Guided tour of Tindari

The guided tour of Tindari let us discover the Shrine of the Black Madonna and the archaeological area. Actually, they are two sides of the same coin. In addition, here there is also an interesting nature reserve: the Marinello lagoons.

Tindari is a hamlet of the municipality of Patti and today less than 10 people live permanently here. However, this is a site of great historical and archaeological importance and, even more significant from a religious point of view.

Tindari guided tour: archaeological site

Tyndaris was one of the last Greek colonies of Sicily. In 396 BC, settlers chose this site for strategic position to easily control both the sea and the inland area. Later, the Romans built their city on the Greek one. Today we can still see part of the Roman town, while, unfortunately, we have very little remains of the Greek one.

The guided tour of Tindari archaeological site leads us to the discovery of the remains of this small colony:

• The theatre: built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC, it was later modified by the Romans to suit their tastes;
• A Roman insula: excavations have brought to light an entire district of Roman times. Today we can see the remains of the thermal baths with valuable mosaics, two domus (houses) and some shops;
• The Basilica: seat of public life in Roman times, of this important building the whole ground floor and ruins of the upper part have been preserved .

What we see today of ancient Tindari is only a small part of the entire city, the excavations are still ongoing and who knows what treasures will be discovered in the years to come.

Tindari guided tour: the Shrine of the Black Madonna

There are many popular legends related to the arrival of the Statue of the Black Madonna in Tindari. However, historians tell us that it dates back to the XII century and its origins might be traced back to the time of the Crusades when trade in the Mediterranean were vital.

Our Lady of Tindari was said to have performed miracles and, as a result, a lot of faithful, over the centuries, pilgrimaged here. Therefore, a bigger church was necessary. The construction of the New Shrine began in 1957 indeed. But the new and modern building includes the Old Shrine that dates back to 1598. From the window of the sacristy of the ancient church, we admire the amazing landscape of the Marinello lagoons and the bay below.

Tour of the Marinello lagoons

The Marinello lagoons are a nature reserve and they are a strip of sand at the foot of Tindari Cape. Walking among endemic plants and golden sand you can dmire the Aeolian Islands and Tindari Cape.

So, don’t wait, come and discover with me this mixture of history, faith and nature! It will be a real pleasure for me to be your tour guide of Tindari.

Curious to know more about the statue of the Black Madonna? Click here for more details.