Mylae

Milazzo stands on Sicily’s northern coast, where the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the low hills behind the port. Fifty kilometres west of Cape Pelorus and thirty kilometres east of Tyndaris, the town occupies the site of the ancient Greek city of Mylae. Nearby Artemisium may have stood just east of the modern centre. The Greeks from Zancle founded Milas, and for centuries it remained closely tied to its mother city. Thucydides mentions only Himera as independent in that part of Sicily, leaving Milas’ early years partly unclear. Excavations show signs of settlement from the late eighth century BC, though some sources place the foundation even earlier. By 648 BC Zanclean colonists from Milas had already helped found Himera, showing the town’s importance. When Zancle became Messina, Milas stayed under its control yet kept its own strong walls and fine harbour. The port made Milas a safe haven on the northern shore, useful to whoever held Messina. Today the old town climbs from the waterfront to the castle that crowns the hill. The castle of Milazzo probably stands where the ancient acropolis once rose. Below it, the streets of the historic centre lead past churches and palaces built long after the Greek and Roman eras. From the battlements visitors look out over the sea and the distant Eolian Islands. The remains of the past lie embedded in the town’s fabric, though little is left above ground from the days of Mylae and Artemisium.