Cefalù

The welcoming Norman town of Cefalù best combines the needs of visitors for relaxation and knowledge, offering a wide choice of monuments, panoramas and places to visit.

The small charming historic center will amaze you with its small alleys, its characteristic churches and the majestic Arab-Norman cathedral, a Unesco heritage site.

The testimonies of history will surround you, from the megalithic walls, to the medieval wash house, to the Jewish quarter of Giudecca, to the small port, to the jewel of the Teatro Comunale Salvatore Cicero.

The seafront will offer you a splendid panoramic walk, and it will be possible to choose between equipped and free beaches, sandy or with rocks, just a few steps from the centre.

Cefalù is also rich in various proposals that will allow you to spend your stay among quality sporting, recreational and cultural proposals.

The numerous clubs and restaurants will offer local foods, fish and traditional recipes; but there are also pubs and takeaways.

There are two cinemas, one of which, on Corso Ruggero, dating back to 1909, offers reviews and meetings with authors and personalities from the world of culture at a national level.

For the patronal feast of the ss. Salvatore, on the 6th of August, you will be immersed in tradition admiring the procession, tasting the typical "pasta a taiano" and enjoying the centenary fishermen's event of the "'ntinna a mari" and the fireworks.

Sports lovers will be able to experience the equipped sports area on the seafront or diving, surfing and other water sports during the summer.

For those who want to discover some unmissable surroundings, we recommend a trip to the nearby Calura beach, with a view of the marvelous Saracen tower, or to the stony beach of Mazzaforno.

Furthermore, in the nearby district of Gibilmanna, you can visit the Sanctuary with the statue of the Madonna del Gagini, and enjoy an unforgettable stroll through the woods.

Furthermore, a few km from Cefalù, there are several interesting small villages, such as Castelbuono and some villages in the Madonie, such as Gangi and Petralia: in the territory of the latter, the adventure park offers fun for young and old among tall trees and nature.

Furthermore, in the territory of San Mauro, there are the Gole di Tiberio, a rocky environment that can be visited by raft along the Pollina River, with the possibility of stopping for a swim together with frogs and other aquatic animals.

Sports and nature

Cefalù is one of the greenest capitals in the world, with plenty of green and open spaces. There are more than 3000 open spaces.

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Nightlife

Looking for nightclubs in Cefalù? Take a look at our guide to Cefalù clubs. Browse for club ideas, regular club nights and one-off events.

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

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Culture and history

The birth of Cefalù has its roots in the fertile ground of the Myth that would have the City populated, for the first time, by Giants, descendants of Noah >, or founded by Sicani (between 3000 and 2700 BC) or by the Phoenicians, the latter would have called it Ras Melkart, promontory of < strong>Hercules whose myth has it that in Cefalù the hero and demigod built a temple dedicated to the Supreme Father Jupiter. Here  relives the myth of Daphnis that initiates the world to the joy of pastoral poetry and that, rendered blind,  is transformed by his father Mercury into that rock which, to say of Servius (4th-5th century AD), would have human form.

Prehistoric traces of the most ancient human presence in Cefalù can be found in two caves on the northern side of the fortress. Solid vestiges remain of the megalithic walls (end of the 5th century BC); from the same period as the walls is the so-called Temple of Diana, a megalithic building with a protohistoric cistern (IX century BC) located on the Rocca.

Kephaloidion the Greek name of the city which was, in reality, an indigenous center of the end of the 5th century BC, prosperous thanks to the contacts with the peoples who lived or they passed through Sicily.  In 396 BC Himilco, a Carthaginian General allied himself with the inhabitants of Cefalù. In 307 BC the city was conquered by the Syracusans and assigned to the governorship of Leptine. In 254 BC it was deceived by the Romans, later becoming a Decumana City; Cephaloedium the Latin name. Traces of the Hellenistic-Roman road system are scattered almost everywhere in the city which we find under the domination of the Western Roman Empire, the Vandals and Goths, the Eastern Empire, then the Arabs and then the Normans. Few traces left by the Byzantines (some remains of fortifications); only in the uses and customs those referable to the Arabs who conquered Cefalù in 858 (the name of the city becomes Gafludi); those that came to us from the Normans are magnificent and monumental. In 1063, the Grand Count Ruggero took possession of the city and his son, Ruggero II, definitively returned Cefalù to Christianity, first founding the Church of San Giorgio (1129) and, then, the Cathedral Basilica (1131). This last construction allows the King to dissolve the vow made when he, caught by a sudden terrible storm, promises to build, for the honor and glory of the SS. Salvatore, a Cathedral in the place that would have seen him safe.

After  Roger II  the fortunes of Cefalù fail and his heirs show great disinterest for the city. On the death of Frederick II (1250) the political situation of the city became very confused. Cefalù passed from one feudal lord to another, in a jumble of dates and events, until, in 1451, it was definitively redeemed by the Bishop. With the advent of the Spanish Viceroyalty, a period of greater stability follows; from this moment the history of the city unfolds only through a slow succession of customs issues, tithes, gabelles, confirmations of privileges, royal letters and tickets. In 1742 the Consulates of Commerce were born. Those of France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands will remain active until the end of the 19th century. The city opens up to Europe and begins to be a destination for travelers on the Grand Tour.

Cefalù plays a very important role in the fight against the Bourbons. In the revolutionary uprisings of 1856, the Cefalù natives Nicola and Carlo Botta, Alessandro Guarnera and Andrea Maggio paid for their yearning for freedom with forced labor, while Salvatore Spinuzza, the daring leader of the revolutionary guerrillas, was shot on March 14, 1857.

On 11 May 1860, Garibaldi and the "Thousand" landed in Marsala, the following 27 they entered Palermo. On October 21, the plebiscite was voted with the formula "The people want Italy to be one and indivisible with Vittorio Emanuele as constitutional king and his legitimate descendants".

On 2 June 1860 Enrico Piraino (Cefalù, 1809-1864), Baron of Mandralisca was appointed President of the Civic Council. the  Deputation of Cefalù, of which the Mandralisca is  a component, emits a  proclaims  in favor of Garibaldi and his deeds On January 27, 1861, the General Elections for the First National Parliament were held. The Baron of Mandralisca is elected deputy. The following March 17, the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed. The Mandralisca under the Prodittatura held the position of Minister for Public Education.