Cefalù

Roger II began the cathedral in 1131, and the apse carries a Christ Pantocrator in mosaic completed around 1145, among the earliest of the great Sicilian mosaic figures and, to many, the finest. The building's twin towers stand against the Rocca, a limestone mass rising some 270 metres straight behind the town, on which stand a megalithic structure known as the Temple of Diana and a ruined Norman castle reached by a steep path. In the old town a medieval lavatoio, a public washhouse fed by a spring, is reached by steps down below street level. UNESCO listed the cathedral in 2015.

History

The town was founded by the Sicels, and in the 4th century BC the Greeks named the settlement Kephaloídion, from its position on a lofty rock headland. Its name first appears in history in 396 BC, when the Carthaginian general Himilco made a treaty with the people of Himera and Cephaloedium (Wikipedia, Cefalù).

What you'll find

• The Christ Pantocrator - a 1140s apse mosaic under a Norman roof.
• The Rocca - a 270-metre crag with a temple and castle ruins on top.
• The medieval washhouse - a spring-fed lavatoio below street level.
• The old town beach - sand running up to the walls of the old quarter.

When to go

May to June and September; July and August are very crowded and the beach fills. The Rocca climb is best early or late in the day, and access is ticketed.

Things to know

The Rocca climb is steep, exposed and can close in high wind. The old town is packed in summer. Cathedral dress code and photography rules apply.

Nearby

The Madonie park rises inland; Palermo lies west.

Key facts