MuMa is located in the Bastione of Santa Maria, which was a church in the past, within the Castle of Milazzo.
The Castle spreads over 7 hectares and is the largest fortified city in Sicily; consisting of 12,070 square meters, from the town of Milazzo up to the ancient “Borgo”, and is considered one of the most important fortified areas of Europe. The monument is in a strategic location on the peninsula of Milazzo that extends towards the Aeolian Islands, and overlooks a natural harbor which has always been one of the most important ports of Sicily. The fortified city is one of few examples of military architecture where defense systems are still present today that were constructed over the course of 10 centuries by the various conquerors. This site was not used only by the military, there was also a Medieval village, in the area between the Aragonese and Spanish walls.
After a brief Angioina rule, the Aragonese crown took over; under the rule of Alfonso the Magnanimous the castle was renovated and at the end of the 15th century Ferdinand the Catholic constructed the Aragonese wall, that contain the inner keep. Construction on the Spanish wall started in the first half of the 16th century, and included the Medieval village that had expanded over the centuries, the excavated ruins are visible today. In the 17th and 18th century this area was used for several civil offices, including the building Palazzo dei Giurati located in front of the ancient cathedral.
In 1860, after Garibaldi conquered the city, the Bourbon army abandoned the castle.
The structure was used as a jail from 1880 to 1959, after which it was abandoned for many years until it was restored between 1991-2002 and 2008-2010.