Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MILAZZO
POP 32,092
Hardly Sicily's prettiest town, Milazzo is hemmed in on its eastern perimeter by industrial
development that can make even the most open-minded visitor run for the nearest hydro-
foil. Indeed, the prime reason for setting foot in this town is to get to the Aeolian Islands.
But, away from the refineries and busy dock, Milazzo has a pretty
Borgo Antico
(Old
Town), and the isthmus that juts out to the north is an area of great natural beauty dotted
with rocky coves.
Sights & Activities
Il Castello
(
www.compagniadelcastellomilazzo.it
;
Salita Castello; 8.30am-1pm & 3.30-8pm Tue-Sun)
Milazzo's
enormous castle was built by Frederick II in 1239 and added to by Charles V of Aragon. It
was originally the site of a Greek acropolis, then that of an Arab-Norman citadel. The
whole of Milazzo once fit within its huge walls. In 1860, Garibaldi's troops successfully
stormed the castle, which was at that time manned by Bourbon soldiers.
The castle grounds contain the city's Duomo Vecchio (old cathedral) and the ruins of the
Palazzo dei Giurati (the old town hall). It's a lovely site to clamber around, full of flowers
and crumbling walls. To get here, climb the Salita Castello, which rises up through the at-
mospheric Old Town. Note that at the time of research, the castle's medieval core was
closed to visitors due to ongoing restoration work, but the outer perimeter remained open,
including the Benedictine monastery and cloisters, the Duomo, and the Aragonese outer
walls, which command dreamy views of the bay and the Aeolians.
CASTLE
Antiquarium di Milazzo
( 090 922 34 71; Via Impallomeni; 9am-2pm Mon, 9am-7pm Tue-Sat, 2-7pm Sun)
Housed just
below the castle in the 16th-century Quartiere degli Spagnoli defensive barracks, Milazzo's
newest museum displays treasures dating from Neolithic times to the Byzantine era,
amassed over seven decades of local archaeological digs. The collection is strong on house-
hold ceramics and funerary urns, with an emphasis on the Greek and prehistoric periods.
MUSEUM
Capo Milazzo
WATERFRONT
