Castello di Milazzo

The Castello di Milazzo 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.HistoryAntiquityThe 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.Arab, Norman and Swabian ruleIn 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.