Page 193 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

the British during the Napoleonic Wars, while fifty years later Garibaldi won a

victory here that set the seal on his conquest of Sicily. If you get stuck here, there’s a
fair bit to see and do, ranging from a great castle, to the surprisingly gorgeous Capo di
Milazzo, with a beguiling cove and lovely beaches.

If you’re in a hurry, Milazzo is easy enough to handle. You could be on an outward-
bound ferry or hydrofoil within an hour of arriving. But there’s enough in and around
town to make it an enjoyable overnight stop, before or after your Aeolian trip.

The lower town

Milazzo’s lower town has a nice, brisk feel. It is not really a place to sightsee, more a

place to go for a stroll, coffee or aperitivo while you wait for your ferry or hydrofoil.
Given the inflated prices on the islands, anyone self-catering is well advised to do a
little food shopping. There is a daily morning market behind the post office on Via G.
Medici. If you have time to kill, the best thing to do on a sunny day is to walk along the
shore, passing little booths and tables where fishermen sell their daily catch. Carry on

long enough (around 20min), and you’ll reach a small sandy beach with refreshments.

Duomo Nuovo

If you fancy a touch of sightseeing, the silver-domed Duomo Nuovo has some
Renaissance paintings in the apse: four panels of Sts Peter, Paul, Rocco and Thomas
Aquinas; between the last of these, an Adoration of the Child by Antonello de Saliba,
and an Annunciation by Andrea Giuffrè above that.

The citadel

The Borgo, Milazzo’s old hilltop citadel, dominates the town. Here, the views open
out over bay and plain, while the higher you climb, the older and more decrepit the
buildings become – some churches and palazzi on the approach to the castle are little