Discovering The Beautiful Town of Cefalù, Sicily
My friends and I were back in Sicily at the beginning of September, for a late summer holiday. Some of you might remember that we were there in May, and we loved it so much that it was a natural decision to come back. This time, we steered away from Palermo itself and explored the surroundings a little more.
The beautiful city of Cefalù is an hour away from Palermo by train, and it is a rather popular town amongst travellers in Sicily. It was my favourite discovery of the trip, and naturally, I wanted to share with you the beauty of this medieval seaside town.
When we arrived, we wandered through the town looking for a place to have lunch. Like any typical Sicilian village, Cefalù is full of narrow streets, crumbled doorways, laundry drying at the windows and little shrines at every corner.
The main roads of Cefalù were buzzing with tourists, both Italian exploring their own land and foreigners immersing themselves in the Sicilian culture. Looking for more peace and quiet, you have to engage yourself in the smaller, more confidential streets. You'll probably hear the humming of a television or the loud Italian voices of a family through the closed shutters of a house, as they hide from the heat. You'll find plenty of little restaurants to fill your belly with good pasta, and dozens of souvenir shops where you can get postcards, magnets or colourful earthenware.
If you visit Cefalù, you'll probably be interested in its two most famous landmarks: the (very busy) beach surrounded by little medieval fishermen's houses, and the cathedral, overlooking the whole town since the twelfth century.
We did not stay at the beach as we knew we'd go there the next day, and it was actually quite crowded so we didn't miss that much. If you can choose when to go on holiday, I would say the end of May/beginning of June is the best period to go to Italy - the weather is warm and sunny already, and you avoid the crowds that stay there until late September.
The cathedral of Cefalù is not the most impressive of the island, but it is still a beautiful spot in the city and the Roman columns are worth a visit. You know my love for Roman history, so I was thrilled to see a little bit of Ancient Rome in these beautiful Corinthian columns.
After the cathedral, we decided to be a little more adventurous... And climb la Rocca, the huge mountainous rock that stands in the eastern part of the city. We had not planned to do some actual hiking, but it turned out the little walk in the mountains was more of a challenge than what we had expected! And so, like three girly Indiana Jones, we walked all the way to the top, guided by the mysterious ruins of the medieval castle that stand far, far above sea level, almost touching the blue sky.
Not many people go as far as reaching the top of La Rocca, but the effort (especially under the warm September sun) is definitely worth it. As you climb along the rocky paths, you'll stumble upon various ruins, of watchtowers long abandoned, of wretched defensive walls, and you wonder who would have even bothered, at the time, to try and attack them there.
However when you arrive at the very top, where the castle once stood and where its ruins still stand strong, you realise that once you conquered the heights, you really do feel like you're on top of the world. The lucky people up there had the best views on the whole of Cefalù. No joke!
If you ever go on the west coast of Sicily, please visit Cefalù and take the time to climb that gigantic rock. If the photos below haven't convinced you yet, let me show you a little more.
The view up there is beautiful from absolutely all angles. On one side you see the infinite chains of mountains, and on the other, you can observe the whole town from its highest point. Pass by the temple of Diana, spot the tall cross, then walk in its direction to stumble upon the magical view that will make you feel privileged to be able to witness so much beauty.
After taking in all these amazing views, we walked all the way back to the town centre and had an ice cream in front of the Tyrrhenian sea, rather proud of ourselves for having walked so much under the heat and constantly remarking that Cefalù was pretty awesome.
If this post hasn't convinced to visit Sicily for your next holiday, then I don't know what will. To be honest, I was sold even before we got there!
Would you have tried climbing the mountain too? Do you enjoy being adventurous when you're on holiday?
Lots of love,
Julia x
24 commentaires
I would go up that mountain for sure. I do love hiking and really enjoy it as a counterpart to quiet beach days.
ReplyDeleteLinda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking
Hiking is such a relaxing and entertaining activity! xx
DeleteSicily is actually right at the top of my travel wish list! This looks like such a beautiful city :)
ReplyDeleteJasmine xx
Jasmine Talks Beauty
I'll love it when you visit, I am sure! :D xx
DeleteGorgeous photos Julia, I dream of visiting Sicily! I cannot believe how blue the water is and it looks so lovely and warm too - that cathedral is stunning! I love visiting ancient places like that :D xx
ReplyDeleteelizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara
Yes, the water is so blue it's unreal! It is amazing, since the island itself can be quite dirty in some places - Palermo definitely is for example. But the water, it's incredible! xx
DeleteIt looks like a wonderful trip -Hanna Lei
ReplyDeleteLatest Post: Arabian Gulf Style Baked Chicken & Vegetables Recipe
It definitely was! xx
DeleteBeautiful photos :-) I hope you had a wonderful time and ate lots of delicious food!
ReplyDeletexoxo
http://gingersnaphattie.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks, I did eat all the food I could have haha, it is part of the whole Italian experience! xx
DeleteOh wow, this travel diary has totally blown me away - there's so much to look at, so much colour! Each and every street looks like the perfect photo opp haha :)
ReplyDeleteaglassofice.com
x
I'm glad you enjoyed in Gabrielle! Sicily is a colourful, vibrant land that makes you feel so welcome :) xx
DeleteI love Sicily and have visited it more times than I can count of but I've never been to this area! Will definitely add it to the list as it looks gorgeous:)
ReplyDeleteSarah | What Sarah Writes
Well now you know where to go for your next trip there :D xx
Deletea little bit of adventure is not bad and in the end you had that amazing view! When it is hot, climbing up the mountain is the last thing you'd want, however I am sure it's all worth it :) Seriously seeing these photos makes me want to go on a holiday and there's nothing planned yet so I am stuck here :( I love the vibrant colours of the photos, they are beautiful :) x
ReplyDeleteEla BellaWorld
Yes, it was definitely worth it! Just take lots of water with you and you're ready to go. I hope you get to go on holiday soon, there's nothing like it to feel inspired and ready to start anew! xx
DeleteWow, this trip is for sure one for the books! Beautiful pictures and a great experience! I love the last photo. Looks like it sums up everything! :)
ReplyDeletexoxo,
SHAIRA
www.missdream-girl.blogspot.com
Yes, definitely a trip I'll remember forever! xx
DeleteThese photos are so amazing...
ReplyDeleteLove them...
This place looks like a fairytale
xx
https://theonethattravels.wordpress.com/
It is indeed a pretty amazing place! xx
DeleteJulia you lucky thing, Sicily looks perfect! The photographs are truly gorgeous; those romantic street corners, meandering alleyways, old ruins and majestic cathedral! Thanks for sharing it all with us!
ReplyDeleteVintagonista-Sumeyye
Sicily really is a beautiful, underrated place! I'm happy you enjoyed the post :D xx
Deleteoh lord love the photo u captured it so nicely!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! Happy New Year to you and your family!! Dominica from www.its-dominica.blogspot.co.uk
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Dominica! xx
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