page_title: Castello di Milazzo
section_title: Aragonese and Spanish rule
hierarchical_section_title: Castello di Milazzo / History / Aragonese and Spanish rule
caption_attribution_description: English: Milazzo Castle, Sicily.
context_page_description: 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.
context_section_description: Between 1496 and 1508, the Aragonese built walls with six semi-circular bastions, encircling the original medieval castle. They were designed by the architect Baldiri Meteli.
  Between 1525 and 1540, the Spanish built bastioned fortifications around the Aragonese walls and the settlement which surrounded it, expanding the castle into a citadel. The new fortifications were designed by the military engineers Pietro Antonio Tomasello and Antonio Ferramolino. In 1577 by Tibúrcio Spannocchi and in 1585 there was a reconstruction by Camillo Camilliani and after by Pietro Novelli. Some outworks were added in the 17th century. Several civil buildings began to be built within the walls of the castle, including the old cathedral and various palaces.
caption: Aragonese gate to the castle
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