Milazzo
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| Comune di Milazzo | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Messina (ME) |
| Mayor | Lorenzo Italiano (since May 17, 2005) |
| Elevation | 1 m |
| Area | 24 km² |
| Population | |
| - Total (as of 2004-12-31) | 32,550 |
| - Density | 1,241/km² |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Milesi/Milazzesi |
| Dialing code | 090 |
| Postal code | 98057 |
| Frazioni | Santamarina, Bastione, Grazia, S.Pietro, S.Marco, S.Giovanni, Fiumarella |
| Patron | St. Stephen |
| - Day | December 26 |
| Website: www.comune.milazzo.me.it | |
Milazzo is a town of on the north coast of Sicily, Italy. It lies 50 km from Messina, just north of the road to Palermo. It is located on a peninsula called Capo di Milazzo.
[edit] History
Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left signs of their presence since Neolithic age.
The finds discovered range over Greek-Roman period to Byzantine age, go through Arabs, Normans and Spanish domination and arrive at the Italian Risorgimento.
In the historical texts Milazzo is present since IX-VIII century B.C. and you can find that Milazzo, after the Greek-Roman age, became with the Byzantines one of the first episcopal seat of Sicily.
Through the centuries, several historical personalities, like Frederick II and Carlo d’Angiò, were present in Milazzo.
Furthermore, the legend says that Milazzo was the land where Ulysses was shipwrecked and met the mythic Cyclopes. As a matter of fact the ancient historians set the town foundation in 716 b.C. in a region so rich and temperate that it was called “Sun Peninsula”.
Milazzo, as in its antiquity, is still today the starting point to get to the “seven sisters” (Eaolian Islands).
In those mythic islands where once upon a time Eolo, god of winds, nymphs and satyrs lived, you can discover today a natural paradise rich in history and art.
[edit] Main sights
Two of the most well-known attractions in Milazzo are the Milazzo castle and the sanctuary of St Anthony of Padua, a little church built in a cave where the saint took refuge after his shipwreck.
[edit] Transportation
Its port is a departure point for ferries to the Aeolian Islands (Italian Eolie) and Naples.
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