The Castello di Milazzo is a castle and citadel in Milazzo, Messina Sicily. The original fort
dating back from neolithic times is located on the summit of a hill overlooking the town.
The strategic value of this location on the Milazzo peninsula was that it
dominated the Gulf of Patti and the sea which divided Sicily from the nearby
Aeolian islands. Critically it benefited from a natural harbor also
The Normans built a castle here the castle was extensively modified during the reign of Frederick
ii of Hohenstaufen. The Sicilian Parliament met here in the castle in 1295 the Bourbons lost
Milazzo castle to Guiseppe Garibaldi in 1860 as part of the reunification of Italy and Sicily.
The castle became a prison in 1880 and closed in 1959.
The castle was built in the 9th and 12th century by Rodolfo Bonnello who was of
the Norman court of Count Roger on the location of an earlier Arabic building.
The castle enjoys a large courtyard a two-level residential area and a private chapel
along with a 15th century ballroom. The Abbate family commanded the castle from 1283
to 1397 after Palmerio Abbate aligned with Geovanni Procida during the war of the Sicilian
Vespers. The castle is defended by a number of 17th century towers Muzza, Franco, Guardiola
and the 18th century Tower of Life Fiumefreddo (cold river) developed
in the 18th century around an earlier watchtower cold river is so named because the river is fed
by melting snow from nearby Mount Etna. Castello degli Schiavi ("Slaves' Castle"),
is a Sicilian baroque architecture castle the building was used for several shots
in the movie the Godfather parts one and two. For example where Michael lives with Apollonia
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Donnafugata Castle castle is a neo-gothic castle dating from the 19th century.
The name means woman who fled. A legend records that the widow of King Martin I of Aragon
hid here from Count Bernardo Cabrera who sought marriage in order to to rule over Sicily. To
this end Donnafugata fell under siege by Cabrera where ultimately the widow fled to Steri Palace
in Palermo. Another legend records the castle is so named after Queen Maria Carolina
wife of Ferdinand iv who was detained here by Lord William
Bentinck the British military governor of Sicily from 1811 to 1816. Like most Sicilian
legends this story is heavily disputed. Castello Donnafugata was used during the filming of the tv
series Montalbano and also for the movie Kaos Calatabiano Castle was founded by the Arabs
a hundred and sixty meters above the sea. Calatabiano was an Arab base to attack Taormina
in 902 the name is at least partly Arabic the word "Kalaat" meaning castle.
In 1254 the Pope gave Giovanni Moro Calatabiano Castle in return for military support
in Sicily the pirate Dragut landed here in 1544 and overran the village
the castle and the nearby village were abandoned in 1693 due to two natural disasters an
earthquaoke and an eruption of Mount Etna The Ziza is a castle in Palermo Sicily. It
is a Unesco World Heritage site from 2015. It is inspired by
Moorish architecture. The word Ziza comes from the Arabic word al-aziz which means "splendid."
This word is written at the entrance and is typical for Islamic buildings at the time. Ziza
was built in the 12th century by Arabic workers on behalf of William I of Sicily known as William the
Bad and also William ii known as William the Good. It was a summer residence for the Norman kings as
was Cuba. Joan of England Queen of Sicily, widow of William ii was held here by Tancred of Sicily.
The region of Sicily restored and rebuilt the dilapidated Ziza in the 1990s.
La Cuba is a palace built in an Arabic style in Palermo, sicily. La Cuba was built in 1180
by William ii of Sicily, William the Good in his great royal park as a recreation pavilion
and coupled with an artificial lake the king and his court would spend leisure time next to
the cooling fountains and citrus gardens and attend parties here in the evening.
Michele Amari the greatest scholar of Arabic and Norman Sicily discovered an epigraph in Arabic
here which translates to "in the name of the merciful God take care stop and note all the earth
William ii the Christian king there is no castle worthy of him praise be everlasting to god
may he keep him full and give him benefits for all his life."
This demonstrates the tolerance and openness of the Norman court
under William ii many in the Norman courts in Sicily were Arabs including
Idrisi the greatest geographer of his time. Boccaccio the Italian author of the Decameron
marvelled at the Cuba and included it as a location in his work the Decameron.
Subsequently the lake was drained and the building is used as a hospital from the plague of 1576
to 1621. It was a lepers colony in the 16th century. The Bourbon kings of Naples used
it as a barracks for Burgundian mercenaries Castello Manfredonico is a Norman gothic castle
and was built in 1370 by Manfredi III Chiaramonte Count of Modica it is built on a high rock outcrop
alarmingly it has halls a dungeon torture cells as well as a chapel dedicated to St. George
the protector of the Chiaramonte family and to the Madonna della Catena. Don Guiscardo de la Portes,
serving King Martin I of Sicily died fighting Andrea Chiaramonte and is now believed to haunt
the building. In 1391 Andrea Chiaramonte fell out with the Queen of Sicily Maria.
He was soon executed afterwards the castle was redeveloped in the 15th century
in addition to the chapel. The so-called throne room there was a death chamber with trap doors
along with the room of three women where it is said three women were walled in alive.
The tragedy of Laura Lanza happened here in 1563 she was murdered by her father Cesare for taking
a lover Laura's lover was killed by her husband. Cesare Lanza ruled the castle from 1564 as count
of Mussomeli but his son Ottavio later abandoned it and used it as a prison. More recently it was
visited by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany who was curious about the legends relating to this castle