A pretty little seaside city is one of the most beautiful in Italy and beloved by locals. Cefalu is a city on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily. It is 43 miles east of the city of Palermo and has a population of 14,000. It is one of the major tourist attractions in the region. Despite its size, every year it attracts millions of tourists from all parts of Sicily, and also from all over Italy and Europe.
It is one of I Borghi più Belli d'Italia (the most beautiful villages of Italy), an association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest. The group was founded in 2001 to preserve and maintain areas of quality heritage. Cefalu is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale - nine religious and civic structures dating from the 12th century.
The city is dominated by a 270-metre monumental rock, known to the Phoenicians as the promontory of Hercules. On it stands the Temple of Diana, a megalithic building linked to the cult of water, as indicated by the nearby cistern dating from the 9th century BC.
Not far from the town centre, there is a beautiful illuminated pathway that runs along the cliffs, a beautiful place to relax and watch the sunset.
The town’s beaches are some of the most popular on the Sicilian coast. The city lido overlooks the old port’s historic buildings, Caldura is a quiet bay covered in pebbles, and Sant Ambrogio is a large sandy seafront.
According to The Thinking Traveller, Cefalu offers “a great deal”, including sandy beaches, Medieval streets flanked with all manner of shops, and excellent restaurants serving fresh fish.
A delicacy of the area is pasta a taianu - pasta with meat, fried aubergines, pine nuts, sultanas and pecorino cheese placed in layers in a large earthenware pot.
Cefalu’s dishes also reflect the local buildings: such as carne murata, reminiscent of a Norman stronghold, built in layers with meat, onions and potatoes and topped with fresh basil, oregano and pepper.
