"The Next to the Last Stop" Top 5 Page for this destination Cefalú by hquittner

As our last day with a car we decided to visit Cefalu before going to our hotel in Palermo and ditching our car. We were told that nobody in their right mind would drive in Palermo. We left Monreale on S186 which became Corso Catalfimi. Long before we reached the Porta Nuova we truned right onto the Viale D. Regione Sicilia which took us around Palermo to the A19 and on to Cefalu(pop.18K). It is a busy, heavily trafficked town with narrow streets and wall-to-wall curbside parked cars and 3-4 story buildings that make it look dense. After 5-10 minutes of not locating a sign for a parking lot(there are some but how to find them) we headed toward the N (the port) and luckily found the railroad track (again) and saw the station. There was a secure lot there (fee) and waiting cabs (10 euro for 4)to take us the 1 km to the piazza del Duomo (saving time and nerves). Later when we returned we walked back since we realzied how "close" we were.

The Rocca (from the Stazione)

The Cathedral is the main sight in Cefalu. It sits at the S. edge of town nestled under a massive Gibraltar-like stone mass (300m high; the "Rocca"). Before this is the Piazza del Duomo and the rest of the town slopes down and around this to the port on a sheltered bay. From this shore E. & W, spread out beach communities.The restaurants, cafes and shops spread out around the Piazza and along the walking street adjacent to it.

The Rocca (from the Stazione)

The Cathedral is the main sight in Cefalu. It sits at the S. edge of town nestled under a massive Gibraltar-like stone mass (300m high; the "Rocca"). Before this is the Piazza del Duomo and the rest of the town slopes down and around this to the port on a sheltered bay. From this shore E. & W, spread out beach communities.The restaurants, cafes and shops spread out around the Piazza and along the walking street adjacent to it.

The port and its environs are worth seeing as are some ancient ruins on the Rocca which is wher the citizens took refuge in barbaric times. Our schedule only allowed time to walk down from the Piazza to the Museo, and later to walk back to our car at the Stazione some 4 blocks away.

via Mandralisca toward S. tower of Duomo

The port and its environs are worth seeing as are some ancient ruins on the Rocca which is wher the citizens took refuge in barbaric times. Our schedule only allowed time to walk down from the Piazza to the Museo, and later to walk back to our car at the Stazione some 4 blocks away.

• Pros:How to appreciate Monreale more
• Cons:No pictures in or from the museum
• In a nutshell:Another giant apse mosaic