Milazzo (Messina Province) is 45 km from Messina, alt. 1 m, on the Milazzo peninsula, area 24.23 sq km, pop. 31,744, post-code 98057, tel. 090. Economy: agriculture, fishing, industry (foodstuffs, petrochemicals, metalwork, passanger and cargo port), tourism.
The city of Mulai (Mylae, in the Roman Age) was founded by the Greeks of Zancle (Messina) in 716 BC, on the site of an ancient Neolithic settlement.
It passed under the control of Agathocles (315 BC) and later Hieron II (270 BC), both tyrants of Siracusa. In the 3rd century BC the city was the scene of the war between Romans and Carthaginians. It was then occupied by the Byzantines (15th century) and subsequently underwent domination in turn by the Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Angevins and the Aragonese.
In the 17th century Milazzo was divided into three distinct parts: the walled city, the suburb, and the lower city. A long boundary wall seperated the first and the second, while the Spanish quarter separated the second and the third. During the 18th and 19th centuries the city extended over the plain, maintaining a typically baroque urban layout. The bomb-damage of World War II and somewhat irrational reconstruction work have considerably altered the appearence of Milazzo, which still, however, remains a pleasant city of great artisitc and historical interest, much frequented by tourists because of its beaches and also because it is the port for the Aeolian Islands.
Of interest: Town Hall, Salita Castello, Castle, Palazzo dei Giurati, 17th and 18th century palaces, Bronze Age necropolis, a proto-Villanovan urnfield, necropolis.
From Milazzo there are frequent ferry and hydrofoil services to the Aeolian Islands and Messina, and we also recommend to see the Grotta di Polifemo (Polyphemus' cave) and a trip around the Milazzo headland.
Families we've researched in these records include the following:
Churches (Messina Diocese) include the following:
Links to other sites about Milazzo include:
My latest book on CD is titled Sicily - A Reference for Researchers and is now available. With a file for each town (plus many other files), it relates the history of Sicily as reflected in the photos, records and festivals of its towns. It contains over 2500 text and photo files and can be ordered at CD order.
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