- Milazzo
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Milazzo — Comune — Comune di Milazzo 
Nickname(s): The cape town Location of Milazzo in Italy
MilazzoCoordinates: 38°13′N 15°14′E / 38.217°N 15.233°ECoordinates: 38°13′N 15°14′E / 38.217°N 15.233°E Country Italy Region Sicily Province Messina (ME) Frazioni Bastione, Fiumarella, Olivarella, Parco Nuovo, Parco Vecchio, Santa Maria delle Grazie, San Marco, San Pietro, Santa Marina, Scaccia. Government - Mayor Carmelo Pino (Civic List) Area - Total 24.23 km2 (9.4 sq mi) Elevation 1 m (3 ft) Population (31 december 2010) - Total 32,601 - Density 1,345.5/km2 (3,484.8/sq mi) Demonym Milazzesi Mamertini
MilaitiTime zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Postal code 98057 Dialing code 090 Patron saint St. Stephen Website Official website
Milazzo (Sicilian: Milazzu, Latin: Mylae[1]) is a town and comune in the province of Messina, Sicily, Italy.The city is situated between two bays, one of Milazzo and the east to the west of Patti, in a strategic place in the north-eastern Sicily. Located 43 km from the provincial capital, is part of the metropolitan area of the Strait of Messina, and is the reference point of an area of over 200,000 inhabitants.
Originally a Greek city, and from 36 BC recognized as a Roman civitas, Milazzo is now a tourist destination and a great starting point for the Aeolian Islands, the Nebrodi Park, Tindari. There are numerous testimonies, the symbols of the ancient history of the city.
Plans are in progress to enter the castle, the fortified town and the ancient village in the sites of UNESCO. The promontory of Capo Milazzo became a marine reserve.
Contents
History
Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left signs of their presence from the Neolithic age. In Homer's Odyssey Milazzo is the place where Ulysses is shipwrecked and meets Polyphemus.
Historically, the town originated as the ancient Mylae, an outpost of Zancle, occupied before 648 BC, perhaps as early as 716 BC.[2] It was taken by the Athenians in 426 BC. The people of Rhegium planted here the exiles from Naxos and Catana in 395 BC as a counterpoise to Dionysius the Elder's foundation of Tyndaris; but Dionysius soon took it. In the bay Duilius won the first Roman naval victory over the Carthaginians (260 BC).
In 36 BC the naval battle of Mylae was fought offshore. The fleet of Octavian, commanded by Marcus Agrippa, engaged that of Sextus Pompey. While the battle was nearly a draw, Sextus could not replace his losses, and was thus weaker at the following battle of Naulochus (36 BC), where he was utterly defeated.[3]
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, under the Byzantines, the town became one of the first episcopal seats of Sicily. In the 7th century Milazzo was conquered by the Arabs, who built here the first nucleus of the castle. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen further fortified the town and created here a personal hunting park. The castle was later mostly rebuilt in the age of Charles V of Spain.
Milazzo was also the seat of a battle in 1718 between Spain and Austria, and of another fought by Giuseppe Garibaldi against the Kingdom of Two Sicilies during his Expedition of the Thousand.
Main sights
The church of the Carmine.
- Castello di Milazzo
- Rock church of St. Anthony of Padua
- Sanctuary of St. Francis of Paola
Transportation
The port of Milazzo is a departure point for ferries to the Aeolian Islands and Naples.
References
- ^ Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (ISBN 0-691-03169-X), Map 47, notes.)
- ^ E. A. Freeman, History of Sicily, I., pp. 395, 587
- ^ Dio 49.1–18
External links
Categories:- Cities and towns in Sicily
- Municipalities of the Province of Messina
- Castles in Italy
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