milazzo

 
 
 
At the base of a thin spit of land poking into the Tyrrhenian Sea, MILAZZO is not the sort of place you're likely to make a beeline for. Disfigured by a giant oil refinery, the coast around is noisy and smelly. However, it's the main port of departure for the Aeolian Islands , which means, at best, a couple of hours in town awaiting the ferry/hydrofoil - at worst a night in one of the hotels . Near the dock, try the Central , Via del Sole 8 (tel 090.928.1043; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48), a cheery little place with clean, shared bathrooms, or the California , opposite, at Via del Sole 9 (tel 090.922.1389; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48), family-run and friendly, offering rooms with private facilities. With a car, you could spend a bit more to stay by the beach on the promontory north, at the Riviera Lido (tel 090.928.7834; L150,000-200,000/¬77.47-103.29), in Localitą Corrie on the Strada Panoramica. The local favourite for fish meals is Il Covo del Pirata , Lungomare Garibaldi 47-48 (closed Wed except Aug), while the best place for pizza is the economic Pizzeria Tonino , at Via Manzoni 4 (closed Thurs in winter), right in the centre. Buses (including the Giuntabus service from Messina) stop on the quayside. The train station is 3km south of the centre, but local buses run into town every thirty minutes during the day, dropping you on the quayside or further up in Piazza della Repubblica. Milazzo's tourist office is at Piazza Duilio 20 (Mon-Fri 8am-2pm & 3-6.30pm, Sat 8am-2pm; tel 090.922.2865), just back from the harbour.

If there's time to kill, you might like to poke around the restored Castle (guided tours hourly Tues-Sun: March-May 10am-noon & 3-5pm; June-Aug 10am-noon & 5-7pm; Sept 10am-noon & 3-6.30pm; Oct-Feb 9am-noon & 2.30-3.30pm; L6000/¬3.10) which sits inside a much larger and older walled city, complete with its own cathedral.