Cefalu' Town

One of the Mediterranean's undiscovered jewels. The epitome of picturesque grandeur. This captivating seaside town is situated beneath a steep mountain.

Cefalu has a beach, winding, narrow, medieval streets, and delightful restaurants overlooking a rocky coast. All under the ever-present gaze of the Norman-Arab-Byzantine cathedral, one of the greatest churches of southern Europe.

Nestled between the Madonie Mountains and the sea, Cefalù's mountain boasts the ruins of a large fortress and an ancient Sicanian-Greek temple. The view from the summit is inspiring.

On the northern coast, 75 kilometers east of Palermo, from which it is about forty minutes by car, or train, Cefalù is a medieval town built on the site of an ancient Sicanian and Greek settlement. In fact, its name derives from the Greek word for a cape; the ancient city was called Cephaloedion. Except for a few archaeological items in the local museum, all that remains of these ancient cultures today is a small structure, the Temple of Diana, on the mountain overlooking the town.

The foundation of this simple enclosure is said to be one of the oldest structures still standing in Sicily. Though the fortress itself crumbled long ago, the battlements atop the mountain were built during the Norman rule of the island in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. A few segments of this outer wall are restorations; most are original. For the stout hearted, the summit, with its magnificent view of the town, cathedral, mountains and sea, is well worth the climb. Viewed at night from the coast to the west, the illuminated mountain and cathedral make for an inspiring site, evoking much of the city's medieval grandeur.

Several medieval buildings still stand in the city itself. These include the lavatoio (lavandai), a medieval wash house fed by freshwater springs, and the Osteria Magna (Great Guesthouse), where King Roger stayed during his visits to Cefalù.

The Castle On the top of the Rock there are ruins of a castle, that on the basis of archaeological data so far acquired, can be dated to the twelfth or thirteenth century, even though some sources document its existence in the Byzantine age. The building, which has a rectangular layout, and two towers, one to the north and one to the east, is further protected by a boundary wall which encompasses it.

The Sanctuary of Gibilmanna is dedicated to the Madonna. The name is of Arabic origin, and it refers to "Gibel el Mann"- mountain of the Manna- or to "Gibel el Iman"- mountain of the faith. Not only is the natural position on the hillside of Pizzo S. Angolo with a certain altitude but also its embedding in a forest of beeches, elms, ashes, oaks and chestnuts gives it a certain fascination. It seems that its origin goes back very far and it repatriates to the birth of the cenobetic benedectic community, founded on Papa Gregorio Magno´s wish. For centuries the sacred place enriched significantly thanks to the contributions of other holy orders, such as the Eremenits and the Capuchins.

Museum Mandralisca

This museum is in Via Mandralisca, next to the Duomo square, and offers the art collection of the baron Enrico Piraino di Mandralisca and a very nice library, containing about 6,000 volumes and including a lot of sixteenth-century texts, two incunabula, as well as history, literature, philosophy and nature books, and nineteenth-century newspapers. There is a splendid numismatic collection with coins from Lipari and Cefalù. In the art gallery you find works of art from various periods. The most famous work is the "Portrait of an Unknown Man" by Antonello da Messina, one of the most famous painters of the European fifteenth century

A maze of charming medieval streets make Cefalù a pleasant spot, whether you stay for a morning or an entire day.

The National park of Madonie

This national park, which is well known for its natural, historical, and artistic contribution to the surrounding territory, is dotted with numerous religious structures, monasteries, hermitages and stone churches, and many of them are isolated aloft the mountain tops. Forgotten along the waterways are mills and old farms, often built on the more ancient remains of Roman buildings; they attest the ability of a culture able to live in perfect harmony with nature. High in the Madonie Mountains nearby, some 20 kilometres away, are several small Sicilian villages that are still untouched by time or money such as San Mauro Castelverde and Pollina. These are perfect day trips to discover these incredible unknown places of Sicily.

Cefalu Property Market