Milazzo Castle, Milazzo, Italy

The Castello di Milazzo is located on the summit of a hill overlooking the town, on a site first fortified in the Neolithic era. The castle was built as a result of the strategic importance of the Milazzo peninsula, which commands the Gulf of Patti, the body of water that separates Sicily from the Aeolian Islands. It also commands one of Sicily's most important natural harbours.

The Greeks modified it into an acropolis, and it was later enlarged into a castrum by the Romans and Byzantines.

In around 843, the Arabs began to build a castle on the ruins of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine fortifications. The castle's keep possibly dates back to this era. The castle was enlarged by the Normans and Swabians. It was extensively modified during the reign of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen.

Between 1496 and 1508, the Aragonese built walls with six semi-circular bastions, encircling the original medieval castle. Between 1525 and 1540, the Spanish built bastioned fortifications around the Aragonese walls and the settlement which surrounded it, expanding the castle into a citadel. The new fortifications were designed by the military engineers Pietro Antonio Tomasello and Antonio Ferramolino. Some outworks were added in the 17th century. Several civil buildings began to be built within the walls of the castle, including the old cathedral and various palaces.

The castle was in Habsburg hands in the first half of the 18th century, before being taken over by the Bourbons. The latter retained the castle until they lost Milazzo to Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. The castle was subsequently converted into a prison in 1880, and underwent a number of alterations. The prison closed in 1959 and the castle remained abandoned for a couple of decades.

It is now in good condition, and open to the public.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Ka-Yan Cheung (8 months ago)
The website is not updated. The dates of closure are not accurate. Sat Nav is not accurate. Go in and check the dates - in Italian or basic English. When using Sat nav, set to centre then follow the brown signs. There are several entrances (2/3) which are restricted access so if you go around, the parking is residential only. Go to the blue parking and walk a small road up. Download the app if needed to pay for the parking. The information are very outdated so when u see the map... there are missing facilties and prices. It is 7pp. IT IS NOT ACCESSIBLE. Originally had to carry a baby basket around. There are plenty of stairs. The lifts are out of order. THERE IS NO RESTAURANT OR WATER. Assuming there was a restaurant to get water (as signs say), we drank our water (only brought a small bottle) and we were dying. I ended up finding left water in the area and we had drank that... hoping that it was clean. It is 38degrees with no shade. There is some wind. There is a vending machine but you MUST HAVE COINS and hope it works. THERE ARE LOTS OF MOSQUITOES. I had covered myself with 2 mosquito patches and we were all bitten. EXTREMELY HOT. No AC or fans. Great exhibition at the moment. It is italian but he knew a little English too. Based about music and his work (man showing and performing a little). Museums were a mixture of good and bad, different languages. I found 2 of them good and the rest no. Majority looked abandoned. Not well signed so I was walking everywhere... You can see the eyes of Milazzo but I didn't see it. When I went, nobody was around (because hot I guess), and after a short while we saw a few people (maybe like 7 or 8) but at the very end, we only saw 1 person coming so I assume everyone had left early due to the heat and no water available. Plenty of bathrooms so I kept having to wash my face to cool down. Staff are great though. Overall I was a little disappointed in the maintenance but it's cheap to go in. There is discounts for specific people, so we only paid for 1 person.

David Lemberg (8 months ago)
You can watch the sunset but it's closing at 2030 and the people throwing you out around 2010 so you have to be fast :). Nice small walk with some museums (for us - not very nice but depends). Nice overview over the city.

Judgy German (9 months ago)
Cool area, definitely worth visiting. Why only 4 and not 5 stars? Without Audio guide, there is very limited information available. The "Mini museums" on the area (included in the price) not quite my taste and are kind of random. The MuMa was still okay, but also a lot of video stations not working.

Barbara Szabo (12 months ago)
Large Fortress in Milazzo that offers nice views of the area. Limited free parking is available in front of the castle entrance. Tickets are 7€. Sadly there is not a lot to see and everything is in a rather bad shape with trash scattered around the site.

mar oroquieta (2 years ago)
Beautiful place, we went on the first Sunday in March so we didn't pay an entrance fee, the place is a very interesting historical center but in parts it looked very neglected, I think that importance should be given to the gardens that surround the church and to the cleanliness in general. I can't speak for guided tours because I went on my own. I loved seeing the archeology and understanding a little more about the history of Sicily. The exhibit on the way the old locals fished for tuna was my favorite. Without a doubt, an activity that cannot be left out of your itinerary of milazzo activities.

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