An early morning was in store for me: I decided to accompany my
newly found friend and sailing buddy Claudia to her bus which would
take her to the airport in Catania to return back to her home in
Germany. Right next to the bus station, a few steps from the municipal
buildings of Milazzo, was a bus
stop for a local bus that was going to the train station. I inquired
with the bus driver who told me he would be leaving within 10 minutes.
Perfect! My backpack contained all the necessities for a day excursion
by train to Cefalu, a gorgeous medieval town about two hours west
of Milazzo.
The Municipal Building in Milazzo
So Claudia and I had to say goodbye, after spending more than a
week together, having enjoyed our intense sailing experience through
the Eolian Islands. After a big
hug and the promise that we would both see each other again, we
went our separate ways. A fifteen minute bus ride took me to Milazzo’s
rather unremarkable train station on the outskirts of town where
I caught the 8:12 am train to Cefalu.
Arrival in Cefalu
I enjoyed two hours of the beautiful ride along the northern coastline
of Sicily, past hills, villages, orchards and vineyards. Just after
10:15 I arrived in this medieval town and I noticed right away that
this was a popular tourist destination. The walk downtown was very
quick and within 10 minutes I had reached the old medieval section
of town. Corso Ruggero is the town’s main street and lined
with many retail shops featuring food, fashion and local handicrafts,
particularly some of the brightly painted earthenware items such
as vases and huge round plates.
Sicilian pottery
Today were municipal elections and several polling stations had
been set up around town to allow the locals to cast their vote.
I had reached the main square, Piazza Duomo, which is anchored on
the eastern side by Cefalu’s Cathedral, an enormous imposing
building, starting in 1131 under Norman ruler Roger I. A beautiful
square flanked by numerous outdoor cafes was stretching up towards
the steps of the Duomo whose size truly dwarfs all the other surrounding
houses.
The Cathedral dominates the square with its two massive bell towers.
I walked into church but a mass was just being held for a group
of boys and girls who were celebrating their First Communion. Far
away from the entrance door I could see the extremely well-preserved
gigantic Byzantine stone mosaic of Christ Pantocrator with the Virgin
Mary, dating back to 1148. Norman churches are generally very rare,
and their grey stone austerity differs greatly from the generously
ornamented baroque churches that are much more common throughout
Europe and Latin America.
A huge Byzantine stone mosaic adorns the cathedral
From here I started to explore the old town of Cefalu. I walked
all the way to Via Ortolano, the street furthest north which is
separated from the seafront by a row of houses. The Capo Marchiafava
rampart, a fortification dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries,
testifies to the strategic importance of this town on the northern
coast of Sicily.
Square in front of the cathedral
As a matter of fact, similar to other areas of Sicily, Cefalu has
been inhabited for thousands of years. During the Greek era it was
called Cephaloedis (meaning “head”), and the Greeks,
Carthaginians, Byzantines, Romans, Normans and many other feudal
groups left their mark on this town. Narrow houses with small windows
are built together, and most of them feature hidden interior courtyards,
private sanctuaries for generations.
Scene in Cefalu
At the northern end of Via Ortolano is an opening towards the small
fishing harbour of Cefalu. A small sandy beach provided a great
opportunity for local kids to cool off, restaurants with outdoor
terraces invited to have a cool drink, and Japanese tourists, well
sheltered from the noon time sun, were sitting in a corner of the
beach, painting the scenic waterfront.
The fishermen's harbour of Cefalu
I relaxed a bit on a bench, watching the scene and continued my
walk westwards along Via Vittorio Emanuele, the main street running
along the northern waterfront of Cefalu, separated from the water
by narrow medieval fishermen’s houses.
The Gothic Porta dei Pescatori
One of the popular sights in Cefalu is the Gothic-style "Porta
Marina", also called "Porta dei Pescatori" (Fishermen’s
Gate), the only remaining of four city gates and a popular spot
for photographers. A few steps away from here is the “lavatoio”,
a public laundry washing area with a stone fountain with numerous
basins that were used until recently to wash clothes by hand.
The "Lavatoio"
I strolled through the narrow streets which were now getting quieter
since the afternoon siesta time had started. Cefalu is flanked on
its eastern side by a rocky promontory called “La Rocca”
which towers over the town and promised to provide a perfect vantage
point of the area.
Starting my ascent of the "Rocca"
So I strolled up to the Piazza Duomo and beside the ancient Norman
cathedral I found a narrow side street that was running right along
the base of the rock. A few hundred meters further inland the pathway
started to climb upwards, with the view getting increasingly more
impressive. About 15 minutes into the climb I reached a gate with
two local municipal employees who were charging admission of 3.50
Euros to the rock. I figured it was worth it, paid the fee and continued
my climb.
The views are phenomenal
Looking up towards the top of the rock I saw the stony ruins of
a fortification dating back to the 12th and 13th century. Once I
had reached the plateau below the summit I saw a number of ancient
structures, including the “Tempio di Diana”, a megalithic
structure dating back to about the 9th century BC.
Tempio di Diana
The noon time sun was too hot for me to try to make it all the way
to the Norman fortification ruins at the top of the mountain so
I walked along the forested plateau towards a lookout area that
provided an astounding view of the centre of Cefalu. The rock walls
descended almost vertically down, and this vantage point allowed
me to look almost straight down into the courtyard of the Norman
Cathedral. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the views over
the turquoise coastline of Sicily were simply phenomenal. I sat
down for a bit to rest and soak it all in.
Looking down at the Cathedral
Then I strolled along the lower fortification walls which cap off
the plateau area just before the precipitous drop of the rock and
caught a good look westwards of the town and the coastal mountains
inland. I have traveled a fair bit in the last few years, but the
beauty of Sicily is indeed quite overwhelming.
Coastline east of Cefalu
The heat had made me thirsty and I figured it was time to head
back into town to sit down in some patio and take in some fluids.
Naturally, the walk down was much quicker than the climb up and
within about 25 minutes I had reached the old town. It was the middle
of the afternoon and everything was shut down now, typical siesta-style.
I did find a local bar that served me an ice-cold limonata (actually
two or three since I was absolutely parched) and I was listening
to some Australian tourists talking loudly at the next table. There
seemed to be quite a few Aussies in this town, along with some German
and French tourists. Definitely not too many North American travelers
though…
Normal gate on top of the fortifications
After quenching my thirst I took a stroll along the waterfront
promenade in the modern portion of Cefalu. Dozens of street vendors,
mostly of North African background, had set up tables to sell belts,
inexpensive jewelry, electronic gadgets and all sorts of other knick-knacks.
People were lounging along the long sandy beach in the new part
of this town and it certainly looked like a great place for some
sun-worshipping.
Medieval soldiers for sale in Cefalu
I felt a little exhausted from all the hiking in the hot sun and
decided to head back to Milazzo and caught a train back. I really
enjoyed the two hour train ride, all the windows were open and the
warm air was blowing through my train compartment. In my head I
was still trying to process all the beautiful images that I had
seen in this exquisite historic town.
Cefalu - a medieval masterpiece
After a quiet evening and a stroll along the Lungomare (to watch
the ritual of the passegiata, the daily stroll along the waterfront),
I had a nice relaxing evening in the apartment, reading, sitting
on the balcony, and looking forward to my final
discoveries of Milazzo and its surrounding areas tomorrow.
