Travel Guide Milazzo

Located on the edge of a 7 km long peninsula, the small town of Milazzo is best known as the main port of embarkation to the Aeolian Islands. Necropolises from the Bronze Age (14th century BC) attest to the presence of man in the area since antiquity. It was with the Siculi that the city became prosperous in the 7th century BC. During the first Punic war, the city fell into the hands of Hieron II of Syracuse and became the scene of an important battle in which the Carthaginian fleet was defeated. During the Arab occupation, the city became a prosperous trading centre. As the bridgehead of the Norman conquest, it fell under the direct jurisdiction of Frederick II. Occupation by the Angevins, Aragonese and then the Spanish, its history then joins that of the island. Milazzo was badly damaged by the bombings of the Second World War, but it still has some interesting buildings from its prestigious past. In its upper town, the remains of an imposing medieval castle can be visited while waiting for the departure of the boats for the islands. Local activities are based around the sea with passenger ships, port activities linked to the refinery located to the east of the city with the presence of oil tankers anchored offshore, sailors and dockers. Do not plan to swim in this area. You can pass by the small fish market every morning and visit the museum of the Tonnara and the sea at the tourist office (piazza Caio Duilio)