The Castle of Milazzo is the greatest of all Sicily and stretches over seven hectares and almost fourteen thousand square meters covered.
It is located on the sites of primitive settlements Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims. The first documents on our historical heritage, date back to the Norman period (XI-XII century) when was built the dominant building, the Mastio, later expanded by the Swabians.
The presence of Frederick II of Swabia is a milestone of the castle and the city. With him the intercultural becomes common laws, military structures and Sicilian schools, poetic or hunting with falcons. Milazzo grows and established it self as a strategic military outpost and was built the first city wall.
With the disappearance of Frederick the southern Italian declines and the Aragonese, in the second half of the ‘400, built a second wall which embraces the first structure and adjusts the castle to the new needs of battles in which firearms would it played an increasingly important role.
From the middle of the ‘500 Spanish rule increases its strategic importance. The defensive perimeters of the castle acquires its third round of walls encircling the old medieval town developed in this area and is widely visible in the archaeological area just made usable. Another wall was added to the south at the end of the century, the “quartel”, the still existing barracks.
Inside the Citadel, between the ‘600 and ‘700, there were the old Cathedral, civil buildings like the Palace of jurors or “Casa de la Ciudad” and significant private buildings in which continue to contain traces and roads. The Spanish wall overlooking the city which Shows two ravelins and two imposive bastions: the Santa Maria, which includes the former Church of Santa Maria, and the bastion of the islands, which faceva the Aeolian Islands and Capo Milazzo, where a deep and dark countermine gallery enriches the veritable outdoor museum of military fortification which is the whole complex of the Castle.
In the first half of the ‘700 Milazzo saw present Austrians and later the Bourbons of Naples. In the early nineteenth century Sicily was basic english and welcomed the Bourbons into exil because of the French occupation (Napoleonic Wars).
In the summer of 1860 Milazzo was the scene of the famous battle that ended with the conquest of Garibaldi, and saw the Bourbon army to abandon the garrison Who had in the castle. From 1880 to 1959 the structure was used as a prison and has undergone many changes that have altered the original splendor and ruined the beauty of the original structure.
After a long period of abandonment and neglect, between 1991 and 2002, and 2008 and 2010 the structure has undergone two major renovations. Today begins the time to return to live and to make it know to the world as a cultural place of excellence and artistics production of the whole Sicily.
Opening Hours
From Monday to Sunday:
08:00 – 14:00
16:00 – 21:00
The visitors are allowed starting from 30 minutes after the opening time and up to 30 minutes before the closing time.
In case of special events, the indicated opening hours could be subject to variation.