These huge equestrian statues wearing cloth costumes stand between the Palazzo Zanca (city hall) and the harbor. They are the giants of Mata and Grifone (the male soldier), the legendary founders of Messina. Several times a year during religious festivals and especially in mid-August for the multi-day celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, they are part of citywide processions. The oldest version of these papier mâché statues dates back to 1723.
