I arrived in Cefalù… and fell in love. I suddenly loved everything about this city! And right away. As we were approaching it and I saw the rock jutting out from the center of town, I knew "this is it."
And after we'd strolled through the streets lined with cafes adorned with greenery and terraces overlooking the sea, I exclaimed, "I love it here sooooo much!" And when we reached the sea, kicked off our shoes, and walked barefoot along the sand, looking at the old houses along the coast, it suddenly struck me, "Well, I'm in love."
Every morning in Cefalù, a rainbow greeted us. And the streets sparkled clean, thoroughly washed by the night's rain. We went down to breakfast, passing through a small garden near the pool.
We stayed in a small B&B villa, and it was perhaps our favorite of all the places we stayed in Sicily. It was a small house with 5-6 rooms, a garden with a small pool and sun loungers overlooking the sea and the Rocca cliff, and the hosts were welcoming and friendly. It was very close to the center, yet in a very quiet and peaceful area. I loved it so much that I can highly recommend B&B Villa Di Giorgi.
After breakfast, we'd lie around in the garden for an hour, reading books or listening to music, or simply basking in the sun or watching the cat... I've come to appreciate this kind of time when traveling, when you're not constantly rushing and rushing, but instead find time to simply relax and contemplate...
Just like pensioners, I thought.
Although no.
We can't relax and contemplate for more than an hour. We need movement, and even better, upward movement.
Pensioners don't climb mountains and hills like we do. At least, not in the dress and ballet flats I wore to "conquer" the local cliff, La Rocca. So what? We weren't going to climb a 2,000-meter peak, just a hill along a tourist trail, a partially paved path. Fine.
La Rocca Rock
I'm on top of this cliff
And then, in Cefalù, I suddenly started collecting souvenir ceramics. And they were all themed around a very specific theme: the sun. I got the idea from our villa, where the entire kitchen wall was decorated with cheerful suns of various sizes, colors, and shapes. I loved it so much that the next day I was running around ceramic shops looking for a beautiful sun for myself… I never would have thought! I usually treat all these souvenirs with a certain disdain and never buy anything I don't need.
And then suddenly it all clicked: I want sunshine in my home all the time! And now I'll try to bring ceramic suns from different cities. From Cefalù, I brought this:
We certainly thought about staying in Cefalù longer than two days. But then again, in those two days we managed to walk and explore everything there was to see.
There are so many hills and even mountains around the city. But there are no, no routes… We searched. The only route was to La Rocca. Ah… if there were more trails in Cefalù and the surrounding area, this city would be priceless! But as it is… we'll have to keep going…
With some sadness we packed our things and got into the car, everything was so cozy and beautiful...
First acquaintance with the city, a walk through the streets
Beautiful, clean, quite uncrowded
And thousands of cute cafes hidden in different alleys
And a million interesting details
My "window" collection has expanded again (it's about time to show the second part)
You can also start a "balconies" collection.
These are the kind of curtains people use in Sicily to escape the heat. And when I saw this, a thought suddenly occurred to me: I wouldn't want to live permanently in the south, where it's always, or almost always, hot. I wouldn't want to be like the locals, constantly trying to escape and hide from the heat and sun. I want to enjoy the sun and, on the contrary, let as much of it into my home as possible, sitting on the balcony, basking in its warm rays...
Access to the sea…
Pre-sunset mood
And this is already the next morning and our villa
Our balcony
Morning rainbow!
Lazy lounging by the pool after breakfast
But enough lying around, it's time to hit the road! To the rock.
Having run up several thousand steps unnoticed, we left the town somewhere far below and the endless blue of the sea opened up to our gaze.
The port is just like a toy
At the top of the cliff are the ruins of an ancient castle. It's a beautiful place to wander around.
We went down to refresh ourselves with some recently picked local tangerines.
And so similar in color to Aperol
The next morning and another rainbow!
And only we are on the deserted coast...
Although no, we did meet a few little fellow travelers
As a farewell gift, Cefalù treated us to a truly wonderful dinner! I can recommend Tivitti Restaurant again (over there, the entrance is right behind the red car). There's no menu, just special dishes prepared for that day, written in Italian in chalk on a blackboard. They translated all the names for us, of course, but you could choose without knowing—everything was delicious.
A wonderful city. I have the warmest memories of the entire trip…
Source: travel.ru