Welcome to Milazzo, Sicily, Italy. 

The famous Milazzo's historical Castle of Arabian Period

.....it seemed me rightful to throw two lines on Milazzo, my earth, which was already settled by the Ancient ones as the Earth where the God Sun pastured the herds. It's a very beautiful city, celebrated as Golden " Chersoneso ", that is the Golden Peninsula, pearl of the Tyrrhenian...earth settled from the epic as country of the giant Polifemo and center of his sublime Cave.... where Odiussèos lands in his to wander...

Milazzo, I said.., it is a Peninsula that stretches out in the sea,  situated  in  North-oriental  Sicily, Italy, port of embarkation for the Eolies Islands and destination of an elite tourism  that  goes  to  the search  of  the culture...earth that goes certainly visit.  Certainly Milazzo is like a beautiful woman...let's not know if gotten married to a good husband!

Historical signs.

Milazzo in the quaternary one not  was, but toward 400.000 to.C. the promontory emerged, as for enchantment, from the sea, just as the Goddess Afrodite, to succession it seems of telluric movements up to reach an elevation of 88 mt from the level of the waters.

The Milazzo's plain land  was formed around 140.000 to.C.... Man appears to Milazzo in 4.500 to.C.; it is an evolved man, that knows how to sail and he lives to the Cape Milazzo, in the extreme point of the Promontory; it acquires ossidiana to Lipari and factory utensils. Other human installations were had around Castle and  Plain, but here floods among 3.500 and 2.500 swept everything.

To Vaccarella, instead, rests of a Civilization of the Bronze are found again, dated 1850 to.C. and so also other rests still in the Castle, where the civilizations since that time put the dead bodies in pythos, that are big vases, on which they set a protection of masonry. On ages of the iron appear the Siculis, that burn the corpses and they set their ashes in terracotta containers. They succeed in dealing even with Greece, from where they import vases that still find in their necropolises. But when the Greek populations in Messina, after Rometta and Monforte  invade and they turn it into one fortitude of theirs. Milazzo, after this disaster it doesn't lift more up to when they don't come from us the Arabs.

In the period of the Roman domination,  Milazzo makes part of the city of Messina; they enjoy some political rights of Roman Citizens and therefore they are exempt from the payment of the tithe. Also it's important  remembering that in the waters of Milazzo, around actual Refinery, Caio Duilio defeated the Carthaginian ones. And subsequently Mark Agrippa won in sour battle the fleet of Sixth Pompeos.

In the Arabic period it is remembered of another battle between Arabs and Byzantines, and then  the Arabs were definitely conquered  Milazzo and they built the Castle, that understood the Male with a great tower and also eight towers.

In the period of Norman domination the Castle was modified by Riccardo Lentini and kept under good conditions, as from a document of Fred II of Sweden. In the Aragonese period, under Giacomo and Fred II d Aragon Milazzo was the center of the two Sovereigns to govern her/it. In this period tells of a marvelous Park, that of King Giacomo (hope that is reconstructed for giving way to the milazzesis to breathe a  good air and to enjoy some coolness of the trees!). Of pole in branch in 1456 the Castle was strengthened with the Surrounded one of Boundaries Spanish.

Finally in the period Garibaldino was had the battle of Milazzo among Garibaldi and the Borbonis, commanded from the general Wood. From here the Borbonis they lost Sicily and..Milazzo.

Other legends...the beautiful Helen Baele. 

The time has woven legends and mythological fables around Milazzo... It's narrated to be existed a beautiful and unlucky young girl, such as Helen Baele, of noble Surname, lived in the earths of the Cape Milazzo, among the farms of the ancient ulivis and the bluffs to peak on the sea... The poor girl was enamored of the child of the farm man, that  worked to the dependences of her father... the two young people were loved secretly and together, being two experienced horsemen, they took long walks among the splendid bluffs of the Head, there where Milazzo embraces the sea among the foams and stretches out toward the Eolian  Islands .. Well, when the father of the beautiful Helen understood this love, he thought well about dismissing the family of the boy from his earths, and he gives them a lavish reward of key money... nevertheless Helen, taken by the discouragement, his beloved anymore not finding,  maked a ride, and it galloped with her steed until over the bluffs of the Cape, launching herself in the void from the cliff and ending among the foams of that sea that she had admired for a long time in the loving embrace with his boyfriend, in the splendid sunsets of the Bay... The legend narrates that in the nights in summer the ghost of the unlucky youth still rides among the bluffs looking for its man... but any fisherman that perceives her is not afraid of her, rather they is moved listening to her hiccups....

Milazzo and her raporto with the sea, of love and atavistic struggle...

To Milazzo for a long time the man has loved the elements and they had feared them in a great respect... you are enough citharas the rite of the Mattanza of the Tunas, that happened in the period of the beginning in the summer, when the tunas hastened in mass to depose the eggs to the Bay of the Tono and of  Cape....Beside to see the photos of the rite that we speak alone...

Milazzo, earth of Saints...

Ah, forgot!

Milazzo is also an earth of Saints, over that of poets and Navigators! In Milazzo there is  the Miraculous SS. Crucifix, in S. Papino's Church, maked  by Monk Umìle from Pietralia, that shedded tears the April 15 of 1798; of the Miracle of the tears there is a notarial documents; witnesses of the fact were the Cap. Commander of the body of Artillery, the sig. Francis Catanzaro, Regal Proconservatore, the Regal Baron Giovanbattista Lucifero and others.... The story of the supernatural event is brought by the pastor of Milazzo, Pietro Pellegrino, in a dated " consultation " 23.6.1978 and brought in the volumetto "You lacrimazione of the SS.Crucifix of S.Papino in the second centennial", taken care of by the prof. Antonino Micale. The history wants that from three months in Milazzo there was drought, for which the believers turned to the tall one imploring the gift of the rain. In such occasion the Miraculous Crucifix of S.Papino, of which to the photo, it granted the craved grace...."As soon as they removed by the sacred parades the prodigy it appeared with immediately to be him disturbed the aere...".and still: " in the time vespertina all the presents saw to bathe himself with tears the right eye."

Besides he lived and it operated in Milazzo S.Frank of Paola, famous for his goodness, humility and zeal and for his faith in the God that allowed him to operate the Miracle of the passage of the Sea of  Messina ploughing the turbulent waves of the sea on his same mantle, together with a fraticello of origin milazzese, a certain fra' Maiorana. The party of S.Francesco, protecting of the People of Sea, it is very felt by us and it is celebrated on first Sundays of May; to this it follows the Party of the " Berrettella ", in which a relic of the Saint (the headgear)  is brought in pilgrimage on the waters of the before sea the promontory (you see photo).

The tradition wants that in a cave, situated in the picturesque bluff of the Bay of the Head of Milazzo, that you can admire in the photo of opening (you see link), S.Antony from Padua lived in prayer and meditation . The cave is stupendous and is visitable, going down from a panoramic stairway in the bluff of the Head; the party of the Saint is celebrated every year the June 13, and during the night among 12 and 13, the pilgrims, for devotion, they come up to the cave afoot, proveniendo from the whole province in Messina. You says that the Saint blesses the unmarried girls, that so they find I marry (!) (wait, therefore, the old maid to Milazzo!). We remember, finally, the party of S.Stefano Protomartire, Patron of Milazzo: the tradition,infact, wants the Saint to be martyred for lapidation and that one relic of his has been found to Milazzo and guarded near the Mother Church in Milazzo.

Milazzo, heroes' earth...

Luigi Rizzo up. Dulcis in fundo, Milazzo has given the native to the heroe, Luigi Rizzo up,  twice medal  gold..whom the Italian Navy celebrates the June 10.. but this is another history.. and it is hoped that soon Milazzo can give the correct Honors to the hero through the institution of a Museum to Him devoted that contains the historical heirlooms, the letters of D'Annunzio. 

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SEE ALSO THE CAPO MILAZZO'S RESERVE MARINE

The Capo Milazzo's Marine  Reserve!!!

Milazzo by night

The Marina's walk

Procession of the Tono's Madonnina 

The Milazzo's contries

La Mattanza: fishing Tunes