sanctuary of the madonna di tindari

Firstly, view was amazing. Unfortunately no pictures was allowed to be taken inside the Cathedral. No Worries there are plenty of tourist stalls where you could buy postcards and souvenirs. We parked at the foothill of the mountain, as there were signs indicating no futter passage probably because of the limited parking on top. But just continue uup with car in case of disability, I'm sure it wont be a problem to continue ahead. There is how ever a van that takes you up. 1 Euro per person return trip which you can purchase at the booth on parking terrain. It comes every 10min. We could only go up from 2:30pm due to their lunch break. If you arrive before 2:30pm, there is a very nice Restaurant just before going to the parking lot. Amazing food. As you go up the hill there are tourist shops. They sell all kinds of items, including dried fruit- which they insist you try. If you do decide to try, try the one who has the food covered with net as birds love eating with you as well.There is a restaurant on top, and coffee bar. It's free to roam around. Amazing panoramic view. Depending on season, you could see the sand figure of Madonna and child. Very nice fresco inside the cathedral. There is a constant "prayer" being played on the sterio system inside.Overall nice place to visit.

A stunningly decorated church with an interesting tale about the 'black madonna'. She's of Byzantine origin - supposed to have been smuggled out of Constantine in 8th century AD. Interesting to visit whilst in the area.Breathtaking views from the edge looking down to the beach and nature reserve.

This church, built on a site occupied by earlier structures, dominates the area. It is impressive, but architecturally and liturgically, it does not reflect its modern origins. The statue of the Black Madonna is interesting as it is surrounded by multiple legends concerning its origin. Nice views looking over the sea but certainly not worth changing your travel plans to see it.

You can see the church from far away as it is set on top of a mountain. Once you get to the top where the church is wow! The views below of the beach are amazing. The church has a magical feel to it. The Madonna, the church and the views are just absolutely beautiful.

Better way to visit the Sanctuary and archeological area is by car. Because from the train statin or bus stop it takes long long time and not easy way to the sanctuary which is placed on the pritty high hill. That is why rent a car and enjoy one of the black madonnas there...

I won't bother you with what has been said already, but we came across a vendor selling some pricey postcards. No haggling allowed. So we started to count out the money until the she-vendor refused a coin saying 'dirty'. We scooped it all back into our hand, left, while the she-vendor banshee-d at us down the streets. They are not all like this and we don't give up. The next vendor was sweet and sincere.

Although there was some sort of holiday during our visit and the place was packed, I was impressed by the beauty of the statue and the sanctuary, as well as the history of the place, not to mention the stunning views. The only downside was the 3 hour traffic jam that followed while simply trying to exit Tindari. However, I can't wait to go back when it's not si crowded.

The statue of the black Madonna and the church are very nice. The black madonna is supposed to have a inscription black and beautiful. But I didn't see it cause we were lucky to stumble upon the local festival in honour of the Madonna. The church was packed and there were al kinds of stands. The sanctuary is up the ridge. When there is no festival you can drive up there. During the festival you have the public parking and the transfer up the mountain.

A beautiful church overlooking the Tindari Lagoon . Local legend tells that the lagoon was created after a man accidentally lost his sick girl and then found her playing on the sands of Marinello below which took the shape of the profile of the Madonna. Recently this has changed due to tides and sea.The Mosaics combined with the Tinted Glass of the church are breathtaking. It is a church that honors a Black Madonna statue found in the seas of Sicily (probably from Africa)Worth a visit

Tyndaris (Tindari) was an ancient city located on this prominent hill (see my review of that nearby archeological site). The old city was abandoned, but in the 1800's the church retained the name Tindari. The stories about the Black Madonna are mythical as you would expect: one story says she was smuggled art from 8th Century Constantinople and left on Sicily after a bad storm force the ship to shore; another story tells of a lady who refused to worship because of the Madonna's color- the ladies baby fell into the ocean and the Black Madonna saved the child. The Madonna sits on an ornate throne with the inscription "nigro sum sed formosa" (Black am I, but beautiful).The front of the church is ornate and makes for nice photos. The inside is jaw-dropping; this is the church my wife and I would love to worship in on Sundays- so beautiful. The view of the ocean from the hills is great as well. There is a little cafe nearby for drinks and snacks, plus some souvenirs. Nice location because the ancient city of Tyndaris is only a short walk away.

Visited Tindari, principally to see the ancient Greek Archaeological site, but looked in to the church to see the Black Madonna. Obviously highly revered by the locals, it was like a festival atmosphere when we arrived, stalls outside in the street selling confectionary and coated nuts, trinkets and tat. Parking below the village is free, a disappointing building allegedly for Tourist information but closed and empty (??) but a bus trip for €2 return took us to the top of the village. Well worth the trip as the church is stunning (though a bit garish for my taste).

What a beautiful church, the windows are amazing, along with the ceilings.It's outside is as beautiful as its inside, standing outside looking up is lovely. However if you also look down you will see a beach and beautiful waters. The views are also amazing of the coastline. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was there was no information on the history. However well worth a visit.

The church was founded on the miracle of the baby who was not hurt; a blessed church perfect for prayers and intentions; beautiful panoramic views as Tindari sits at the top of a hill; ancient Greek theatre and ruins, chic restaurant, little village with small shops and souvenir huts, church closed at night but nice restaurant open and lovely to overlook the ocean and countryside before night falls...no parking up at the church so there is a small fee for parking and the shuttle bus to the church, some walking is involved...

The view from the parking lot is nice, but the church is nothing special and you have to pay to park and ride the bus up to the town, you can't drive on the road. The whole town is souvenir shops and dried fruit stalls trying to sell you stuff. Only positive thing was that the parking was reduced in price as we visited off season.All in all a complete tourist trap.

He we are sailing and a local told us we must anchor up in to sari bay and walk up to the church. Well the church is positioned amazingly above the bay and is striking from some distance out. We decided to walk up.......after finding out the taxi wanted 10 euro each return......we should have taken it ..........the goat track up is very unkept and overgrown......the reward was worth it........the literary we had as to how big the black Madison's was........well we were all wrong and not disappointed.If in the area do it but also make the effort to have a look at the cefalu church a little further west.