Madonna Raccomandata Festival

A festival that is the soul of Giardini-Naxos

In the town of Giardini-Naxos, in the province of Messina, the Madonna Raccomandata Festival is much more than a religious observance: it is the moment when the entire community reconnects with its history as a seaside village. The devotion is rooted in the fishermen of the Saja district, the original core of the town, who would "entrust" themselves to the Virgin before facing the uncertainties of the sea, asking her to watch over their return. This is the origin of the title Madonna Raccomandata, now the heavenly patron of Giardini-Naxos and venerated as the Queen of Peace.

The history of the statue

The statue venerated in the town, a work by sculptor Felice Bottiglieri, arrived in Giardini in 1853, transported by sea from Naples on a boat belonging to the Cacopardo brothers and landed right on the shore of the Saja. Since then, the statue has been kept in the Mother Church of Santa Maria Raccomandata, on Corso Umberto I, and serves as the focal point around which the festival days revolve.

The rites of the celebration

The festivities span the summer, but reach their peak in the first days of September with three highly symbolic moments:

• A Scinnuta (the descent): the statue leaves its niche above the altar and slowly descends toward the faithful, while hymns dedicated to the Madonna, composed by the locals themselves, are sung.
• The September 8th procession: on the main day, the statue is hoisted onto a float and travels through the entire town in a procession lasting about two and a half hours, accompanied by the cries of "Evviva Maria" and "Evviva la Gran Signura Maria".
• L'Acchianata (the ascent): as a closing act, the statue returns to its place on the altar, in a ritual mirroring the Scinnuta.

Sea, brass bands, and fireworks

As this is a fishermen's festival, the bond with the sea remains central: traditional rites include the blessing of the boats and the sea at the port, commemorating the landing of 1853. The main day concludes late in the evening with a brass band concert and a fireworks display over the Saja sea, while stalls and markets enliven the streets of the center. It is the perfect opportunity to discover Giardini-Naxos, a pearl of the Ionian Riviera of Messina at the foot of Taormina, in its most authentic and popular form.