The wonders to discover in the streets of Cefalù

Cefalù nowadays is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. This is thanks to its renowned beaches, its artistic and cultural treasures such as the Norman Arab houses, or the nature of the Madonie Park.

All this would be enough to leave everyone speechless. For this reason it is a lovely place for tourists who want to combine relaxation with art and history. In fact, in this magnificent village you can visit and linger in many places, one more exciting than the other, where you can enjoy days of fun and entertainment.

The Rocca

The Rocca rises up to 268 meters and at the base develops the historic town of Cefalù. From here, the path leads to the top of the rock. During the climb, there are the remains of the Temple of Diana, a building dating back to the ninth century B.C. In the northern part of the wall overlooking the precipice, above the Cathedral, was erected a metal cross several meters high that at night lights up and dominates the enchanting panorama.

The Mandralisca Museum

In Cefalù there is only one museum, the Mandralisca Museum, commissioned by Baron Enrico Pirajno of Mandralisca. Pirajno, a well-known philanthropist passionate about various knowledge and sciences, collected, during his life, numerous objects of art, coins, books and archaeological finds and made them available to the city at his death.

The Medieval Wash-house

In via Vittorio Emanuele there is the public wash-house known as “medieval wash-house”. Restoration work was completed in the summer of 1991. It has a lava stone staircase that leads to a series of stone tanks in which women came to wash clothes in the waters of Cefalino, which flow from twenty-two cast iron vents and through a small cave, the water reaches the sea.

The sea

The seafront of Cefalù, famous throughout Sicily and also in the rest of Italy is the ideal place to spend your holidays at any time of your life. The clear waters and the wide golden beach is the ideal choice for families, thanks to the many services that make available to bathers, like the lidos, the refreshment points or many nice shops that guarantee a holiday of comfort and relaxation. From sunset it becomes one of the destinations of the nightlife of Cefalù: bars, restaurants and nightclubs remain open until late at night.

The Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Transfiguration is a minor basilica located in the historic center, whose architecture follows the model of the great Benedictine basilicas, with numerous Arabic influences. The construction began in 1131 and embellished over the years by some Byzantine mosaics, the work of masters brought directly from Constantinople by Roger II. It was consecrated only in 1267.

Porta Pescara

The last survivor of the four doors that allowed access inside the walls. Through this gate, in fact, you can see the magnificent pier accompanied by an enchanting Gothic arch surmounted by the coat of arms of the kings of Sicily. This spectacular position makes this place one of the most photographed in Cefalù.

But Cefalù is not only a place to visit for its beach and its monuments but also for its gastronomy and its culinary traditions. The various restaurants that can be found in the pretty streets of the village offer dishes with the catch of the day, in fact very famous is also the fresh peach of Cefalù. But at dessert time it is impossible not to taste the desserts made of almond paste, so delicious that they are great to end a meal or a quick snack.