BROLO
Brolo
is a town located in the Messina coastline, its houses nestling
on a rocky slope with breath-taking views of the sea and the seven
Aeolian Islands. It notably developed in the 17th century when the
Chiesa Madre was erected.
Farming,
notably related to citrus fruits and vines, is Brolo’s oldest
and still main economic resource. Especially in the past, it was
also an important harbour area and stop for vessels sailing the
Mediterranean Sea.
Grown
as a feudal dominion part of the Lancia family holdings, it retains
some precious examples of that old epoch, among which an ancient
castle enclosed by defensive walls with two decorated gates that
bear the coat-of-arms of noble Lancias and flanked by a rectangular
tower graced with several fine windows. From here, a spiral staircase
leads up to a cross-vaulted hall – that completes the structure
– topped with a battlemented terrace. The castle boasts an
eventful story. Some historians maintain that at one day here was
a tower called Voab. The site is of also naturalistic interest,
it rising on a rocky spur overlooking a vast land covered with olive
and citrus groves.
The
construction of the castle seems due to Swabian Frederick II. First
ceded to the Lancias, who enriched and restored it, it successively
passed to Michele Spadafora – Marquis of Roccella –,
the Lancias again, Ignazio Vincenzo Abate – the Marquis of
Lungarini –, the Mustos, down on to its current proprietor.
Notably in the 17th century, the tower of Brolo served as an important
lookout guarding against attacks on the harbor which was much trafficated
at that time.
Brolo
Visitors can thus enjoy a range of cultural, historical and naturalistic
riches, consisting of the mentioned castle, the historic centre,
where is a Tunisian Kasbah and many palazzi and churches, and, finally,
nature sites in the city environs.
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