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Cefalù

Recomendado por 401 habitantes locales,

Consejos de residentes locales

Francesco
November 8, 2020
Cefalù is a city included in the Arab-Norman circuit for its beautiful cathedral. The Norman cathedral, a 12th-century structure, is fortress-like with the elaborate Byzantine mosaics of the apse and tall twin towers. The Norman cathedral is declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Nearby, the Mandralisca Museum offers archaeological exhibits and a picture gallery with the famous "Portrait of the Unknown" by Antonello da Messina. In Cefalù you will find restaurants for all tastes and budgets. The beaches of Cefalù are a major attraction. The Villa overlooks the beautiful beach of S.Ambrogio. The small village of S.Ambrogio is only 2 kilometers away and you can also go there on foot. Also in S.Ambrogio you will find two excellent fish restaurants. The architectural complex called today "Villa Palamara" is a ancient settlement documented since the fourteenth century as a nucleus monastic; in 1331 it was incorporated into the territory of marquisate of Guarneri and consisted of cells and a chapel; in 1510 it is documented as a summer residence of the Dominican Fathers; in 1630 it passed to the Mercedari Fathers of S. Pietro Molasco. Subsequently , in 1868, is buy by MichelePalamara, my great-grandfather. The Villa was expropriated by the Italian State from the properties of the Catholic Church in 1863, shortly after the unification of Italy, and put up for auction.. My great-grandfather made the best offer and won the old convent, which he turned into home of the summer holidays of my family and in farm.
Cefalù is a city included in the Arab-Norman circuit for its beautiful cathedral. The Norman cathedral, a 12th-century structure, is fortress-like with the elaborate Byzantine mosaics of the apse and tall twin towers. The Norman cathedral is declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Nearby, the Mand…
Giorgio Maria
May 4, 2019
Norman seaside village, a bathing destination and a gateway to the Madonie. Inserted in the UNESCO list of world heritage of humanity, it is part of “I Borghi più belli d’Italia”. Cefalù is a land of myth. From the most ancient human habitation of Cefalù, we find prehistoric traces in two caves, which are located on the northern slope of the Rocca, called "delle giumente" and "delle colombe." Ras Melkart (Ercole’s promontory) is the Punic name of the city, Kephaloidion is the Greek one. The City, although boasting ancient mythological and legendary origins, would be an indigenous center of the late fifth century BC, as evidenced by the archaeological finds, which became flourishing and prosperous thanks to contacts with the people who ran the businesses in Sicily at that time. Traces of the Hellenistic-Roman road system are scattered all over the city, while the so-called temple of Diana, on the rock, is from the same period of the walls. It is a megalithic building, perhaps linked to a water cult. In 1063, the Grand Count Ruggero took possession of the city, helped in the fight against the Arabs by a citizen of Cefalù, Rodulfo Rufo, alias Raul. Ruggero II definitively returned Cefalù to Christianity, first establishing the Church of San Giorgio (1129) and then the Cathedral-Basilica (1131). Moving a few steps inside the historic center, you realize how vast the monumental heritage of the city is: coming from the sea, on your left, there is the "Medieval" washhouse, mouth of the Cefalino river; the river, born from the mountains behind Gratteri, reaches Cefalù through an underground path, reinforcing that ancestral link between sea and mountains, which has permeated the history of Cefalù and the Madonie area. The medieval structure is also evident continuing through the narrow streets, paved with the pebbles of the beach and the limestone of the Rocca di Cefalù. Once you reach the main square, you can admire the Cathedral, declared Unesco Heritage in 2015. Characterized by an Arab-Norman style, it has a Latin cross plan, a cloister with a rectangular plan and several mosaics inside it, including the Christ Pantocrator. The City also has other important artworks, such as: the Church of the Addolorata, the Church of the Catena, the Osterio Magno, ancient Norman fortress, the Church of the Purgatory, the former Convent of Santa Caterina, the Oratory of Sacramento and the Bishop's Palace, and again, the Mandralisca Museum and the Rocca with the Temple of Diana. 15 km from Cefalù is the Sanctuary of Gibilmanna (800 meters a.s l.), an interesting place of worship and a destination for pilgrimages, among dense vegetation of chestnut, oak and ash trees. Inside the sanctuary is a baroque altar with polychrome marble of exquisite workmanship, originally executed for the Cathedral of Palermo by the sculptor Baldassare Pampillonia. The town of Cefalù is part of the Circuito dei Borghi Marinari, a consortium engaged in the promotion and protection of the sea, and of the culture and the traditions linked to it. Cefalù, nowadays frequented by an international audience, offers everyone a clean sea with a beautiful coastline, services and cultural itineraries rich in myth, history and nature. Its territory, in fact, offers beautiful walks that allow you to enjoy the surrounding nature.
Norman seaside village, a bathing destination and a gateway to the Madonie. Inserted in the UNESCO list of world heritage of humanity, it is part of “I Borghi più belli d’Italia”. Cefalù is a land of myth. From the most ancient human habitation of Cefalù, we find prehistoric traces in two caves, whi…
Former Member
February 10, 2019
Cefalu has an amazing beach a full day out.
Marco
April 11, 2018
The old city by the sea...
Maria
August 24, 2014
Cefalù is a small town that offers sandy beaches, winding Mediaeval streets flanked with all manner of shops and good restaurants and , most important, its unique Norman cathedral.

Actividades únicas en la zona

Recorrido por los rincones ocultos y las leyendas de Cefalú
La comida callejera de Cefalú y sus orígenes árabes
Catas de aceite y tour a pie cerca de Cefalú
Ubicación
Cefalù, Sicily