Castello di Mola, Castle in Castelmola, Italy

Castello di Mola is a ruined castle on the hill of Castelmola, in the metropolitan city of Messina. It was part of the Peloritan defensive chain with Taormina's fortress, and its position overlooks the Ionian coast, the Strait of Messina and Mount Etna. The castle has an irregular plan and was rebuilt in the Byzantine era.

A primitive fortification is mentioned by Diodorus Siculus during the conflict between Taormina and Dionysius of Syracuse in 390–389 BC. A Greek-Byzantine inscription of the 9th century on the cathedral facade records that the castle was built under Constantine, patrician and strategist of Sicily. After Roger I took Taormina in 1078, a new castle called Mola was built; in the 14th century Frederick III and Peter II enclosed it with walls and used it as a fortress and prison.

Some rooms of the castle house the Museo del Medioevo Siciliano, and the fortress also hosts displays of medieval falconry, with trained birds of prey performing flights and acrobatics. The entrance arch carries the motto "Castello fedele a Sua Maestà - anno 1578", referring to Philip II of Spain.

The castle stands on the hilltop of Castelmola above Taormina, and the climb is on foot through the village lanes. From the walls the view takes in the Ionian coast, the Strait of Messina to the north and Etna to the south. Some rooms house the Museum of Sicilian Medieval Life, and falconry displays are held in the castle.

Above the entrance gate is a 1578 inscription with three towers declaring loyalty to the king carved in stone. This carving shows the royal importance the fortress held during that period.