The peninsula of Milazzo, stretching out towards the Aeolian Islands, has always been one of the most important harbours in Sicily. There was a stronghold here under the Romans and then under the Arabs. The original structure of the present castle was extended by Frederick II, who in his desire to make the town impregnable constructed a great harbour wall to defend the roadstead, dominating the isthmus. This project was materialized by Richard of Lentini, Frederick's trusty architect, who added a turreted boundary wall to the previous structures. The castle was further reinforced in the 15th cent. by Alphonso of Aragon, who built five powerful truncated-cone-shaped turrets, and by Viceroy Ferrante Gonzaga in the 1600s. It suffered substantial damage in the 18th cent., and after devastation in the Bourbon period it became a prison, which it remained until 1960. In the 1980s and '90s extensive repair work was carried out, restoring the Spanish walls and the rooms of the old 20th July barracks.

Details of the Milazzo castle

(click on the photos to enlarge)