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Visit Milazzo
Milazzo is a substantial town on the coast of north-east Sicily.
The centuries have left their mark very clearly on the layout of Milazzo. At the top there is the walled city, at the foot of the hill is the "Old Town" of medieval origin, while at the bottom, along the harbor area, lies the modern city.
Milazzo Old town
The Old Town includes the fortified citadel that dominates the medieval quarters. Inside the village there are numerous religious buildings - on entering the old town we first find the Shrine of St. Francesco di Paola, dating from the 18th century and built on the site of a pre-existing church of the fifteenth century. The façade is characterized by a curvilinear staircase, with windows and a gallery above the doorway. Inside, in the chapel of Jesus and Mary, there is an altar decorated with carved and gilded wood, at the centre of which is the "Madonna and Child" by Domenico Gagini (1420-1492).
A little further into Milazzo old town we find the 16th century Palace of the Viceroy, further enriched in the 18th century with baroque balconies. Below the palace we can see the façade of the Church of SS. Salvatore (18th century), designed by Giovan Battista Vaccarini (1702-1768). Continuing along the “Via S. Domenico” is the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. Built in the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the 18th century at which time the interior was decorated with stucco and frescoes by Domenico Giordano (c.1760 - 1820).
Milazzo castle
The road leads on to Milazzo Castle, with its imposing Spanish walls - the outermost and largest of the three walls. The building was begun in the first half of the 16th century under Emperor Charles V of Spain (1500-1558), by the viceroy of Sicily, Duke Ettore Pignatelli (died in 1579), and it was completed towards the end of the century. It consists of two solid parallel walls, joined by a barrel vault. Inside were tanks, warehouses, stables, rooms used as prisons with passages and underground walkways. The fort was originally begun by the Arabs in the 10th century, in place of the ancient Greek acropolis.
Beyond the Spanish walls, the so-called "Old Cathedral" can be seen.appears (first decade of the 17th century), an important example of Sicilian mannerisms. The Church, with a Greek cross structure and a single large central dome (10 meters high), has columns with Corinthian capitals and friezes, probably carved by artists from Syracuse. Worth a mention is the shrine above the portal of the cathedral with angels echoing the Florentine mannerist art.
The Aragonese city walls, dating back to the fifteenth century, are characterized by five towers, with pointed arched gateway surmounted by the crest of the monarchs of Spain, Isabella [1451-1504] and Ferdinand [1452-1516], which is a shield divided into four parts and supported by the eagle of S. John. Inside there is a castle built by Frederick II of Swabia, but with later additions. The arched portal is surmounted by the coat of arms of Aragon.
Lower town
The lower town is the most recent part of Milazzo, and was built in the 18th century. The center of the lower town revolves around the “Piazza Caio Duilio”, flanked to the west by “Palazzo Marchese Proto” and to the east by the façade of the “Chiesa del Carmine”, enriched by the portal with a lintel carved with garlands and a niche with a statue of Our Lady of Consolation" (first half, 17th century).
In "Cumbo Borgia" Street is the "New Cathedral", a building dating back to the '30s, in which there are some valuable paintings by Antonello de Saliba, and other religious paintings attributed to Antonio Giuffrè (14th century), a painter of the Antonello da Messina (1429-1479) school.
Waterfront in Milazzo
Along the waterfront, and through the district of Vaccarella, we can pass along the panoramic road that leads to Cape Milazzo and toward the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua, dating back to the 18th century and enriched with polychrome marble altars and walls and nine bas-reliefs in stucco that depict scenes from the life of the saint. To the West there is a coastal road that runs parallel to the sea and leads to the so-called “Cave of Polyphemus”, where, according to Homeric tradition, the fight of Ulysses with the Cyclops took place. In front there is the wide beach of the Bay of “Tono” (known as "Ngoni" [“creek”]).
Local cuisine
To finish your tour of Milazzo there is nothing better than trying the local cuisine, full of special recipes and delicious dishes, especially seafood. A typical dish of Milazzo is the “Fish ‘Stocco alla messinese” , based on cod, green olives, capers, parsley and garlic. Sweets include the Sicilian “Cannoli”, made with ricotta and candied fruit, and the "Piparelli", cookies with almonds and honey. Among the wines to be tasted with the dishes, sample the "Mamertino" white, served with seafood appetizers, but also with white meat and the "Mamertino red", which is more likely to accompany more elaborate dishes made with meat sauce and red meat.
See also history of Milazzo.
See the the Sicily travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as Milazzo.