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Cefalu
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Despite the recent attentions of Club Med and a barrage of modern building outside town,
CEFALU
remains a fairly small-scale fishing port, partly by virtue of its geographical position - tucked onto every available inch of a shelf of land beneath a fearsome crag, La Rocca. Roger II founded a mighty cathedral here in 1131 and, as befitting one of the most influential early European rulers, his church dominates the skyline, the great twin towers of the facade rearing up above the flat roofs of the medieval quarter. Naturally, it's the major attraction in town, but most visitors are equally tempted by Cefalu's fine curving sands - the main reason why the holiday companies have moved in in such great numbers in recent years. Still, it's a pleasant town, and nothing like as developed as Sicily's other package resort of Taormina.
Halfway along Corso Ruggero, the main pedestrianized road through the old town, the Duomo (daily: summer 8am-noon & 3.30-9pm; winter closes 6.30pm) was built - partly at least - as Roger's thanks for fetching up at Cefalu's safe beach in a violent storm. Inside, covering the apse and presbytery, are the earliest and best-preserved of the Sicilian church mosaics, dating from 1148. The mosaics follow a familiar pattern. Christ Pantocrator dominates the central apse, underneath is the Madonna flanked by archangels, and then the Apostles. Although minuscule in comparison with those at Monreale , these mosaics are just as appealing and, most interestingly, display a quite marked artistic tradition. Forty years earlier than those in William's cathedral, they are thoroughly Byzantine in concept: Christ's face is elongated, the powerful eyes set close together, the outstretched hand flexed and calming.
In high season, when Cefalu's tangibly Arabic, central grid of streets is crowded with tourists, you'd do best to visit the cathedral early in the morning, before succumbing to the lure of the long sandy
beach
beyond the harbour. There are a couple of other places that are also worth venturing to: the
Museo Mandralisca
(daily: 9am-7pm; Aug 9am-midnight; L8000/€4.13), at Via Mandralisca 13 (across from Piazza Duomo), has a wry
Portrait of an Unknown Man
by the fifteenth-century Sicilian Master Antonello da Messina; and
La Rocca
, the mountain above the town, holds the megalithic so-called Tempio di Diana, from where paths continue right around the crag, inside medieval walls, to the sketchy fortifications at the very top. If you want to stay over, choose between the very pleasant
Pensione delle Rose
(tel & fax 0921.421.885; L90,000-120,000/€46.48-61.98), at Via Gibilmanna, twenty minutes out of town along Umberto I, where some of the rooms have private terraces, or the pricier
La Giara
, in the heart of the old town at Via Veterani 40 (tel 0921.421.562, fax 0921.422.518; L150,000-200,000/€77.47-103.29), well-equipped, with an affable management and a big terrace. The best place to
eat
on a budget is the
Arkade Grill
, off Corso Ruggero at Via Vanni 9 (closed Thurs in winter), which offers a good-value tourist menu in summer. For more elegant dining, the friendly
La Brace
, Via XXV Novembre (closed Mon & mid-Dec to mid-Jan), serves a wonderful two-course meal for around L28,000/€14.56 (three courses for L48,000/€24.96). The
tourist office
is on the main street at Corso Ruggero 77 (June-Sept Mon-Sat 8am-8.30pm; Oct-May Mon-Fri 8am-2.30pm & 3.30-7pm, Sat 9am-1pm; tel 0921.421.050) and has free maps and accommodation lists. There are three
hydrofoils
a week to the Aeolian Islands from mid-June to mid-September. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy,
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