The fort of the Castricians
It is a military building located on the upper part and further west of the village, close to the rocky ridge, about 63 meters above sea level, along the via dei Castriciani, which leads from piazza dell’Immacolata to the crossroads of Montecastro and Duomo streets. The fort has a semicircular plan on the south side, with walls of more than 3 meters thick in the upper part, a square plan on the north-west side, and a wedge on the north-east side, with walls of one meter thickness. It stands for about 6 meters from the rocky base, which instead is surfaced inside on the west side. Its plan is therefore the consequence of the geometric connection of the rock eruptions, that is an irregular shape that measures a maximum of 37 meters in length and 12 meters wide.
Within its perimeter, in the north-west part are visible two environments under the level of treading. The first of about 2×2 meters, cut between the rocks and covered by a damuso ceiling in stones and mortar, with a small window in the rock wall overlooking the sea. The other room, without cover because probably collapsed, measures 8×6 meters, has a small tank for collecting rainwater and a staircase that accesses the fort floor.
Nothing prevents us from thinking that other environments can be incorporated by the structure of the fort: a study with stratigraphic research would be desirable to better understand the architecture and the presence of any historical evidence.
Dating is a difficult subject. The fort is already present in the ancient cartography of the ‘600, the Piaggia, in his work of 1853, Illustration by Milazzo, reports a note taken from a manuscript by Marco Aurelio Catanzaro, which lists it among the fortifications present after the war of 1718-19. The Ruolo, which in 1972 was the first to register the cultural assets of Milazzo, including the “Castricians’ fort”, attributes its construction to the second half of the 16th century. During the Bourbon period it housed an optical telegraph.
Certainly in addition to its value of historical testimony, it remains its exceptional panoramic point: the two seas are visible and the view ranges from the Aeolian Islands to Capo Rosocolmo. Properly recovered and valued should become a stop of the historical-cultural itinerary within our city.
Fulco C., Picciolo L., Le torri di Milazzo – 2. Il Capo, in Milazzo Nostra