page_title: Castello di Milazzo
section_title: Arab, Norman and Swabian rule
hierarchical_section_title: Castello di Milazzo / History / Arab, Norman and Swabian rule
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Torrione Saraceno
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: In around 843, the Arabs began to build a castle on the ruins of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine fortifications. The castle's keep possibly dates back to this era.
  The castle was enlarged by the Normans and Swabians. The castle was extensively modified during the reign of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen.
  In 1295, the Sicilian Parliament met here.
caption: The Torre Saracena, which was built by the Normans
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