The Castello di Milazzo (English: Milazzo Castle) is a castle and citadel in Milazzo, Sicily
The Castello di Milazzo (English: Milazzo Castle) is a castle and citadel in Milazzo, Sicily. It is located on the summit of a hill overlooking the town, on a site first fortified in the Neolithic era. The Greeks modified it into an acropolis, and it was later enlarged into a castrum by the Romans and Byzantines. The Arabs built a castle, which was further modified and enlarged during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. It is now in good condition, and open to the public.
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.
Antiquity
The first fortifications on the site of the Castello di Milazzo were built in around 4000 BC, during the Neolithic. The Greeks built an acropolis in the 8th or 7th centuries BC, and the Romans and Byzantines modified the site into a castrum.
Ancient coins, including those of the Mamertines, have been found recently inside the castle's perimeter.
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. The castle was extensively modified during the reign of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen.
In 1295, the Sicilian Parliament met here.
Between 1496 and 1508, the Aragonese built walls with six semi-circular bastions, encircling the original medieval castle. They were designed by the architect Baldiri Meteli.
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. In 1577 by Tibúrcio Spannocchi and in 1585 there was a reconstruction by Camillo Camilliani and after by Pietro Novelli. 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.
18th to 20th centuries
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.
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La più grande cittadella della Sicilia