Cefalu: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 60 - 333 Hotel Villa Belvedere
 Hotel Villa Belvedere is 500 metres from the sea in a quiet location. It offers free Wi-Fi, free parking and air-conditioned rooms with private bathro… MoreEUR 60 - 160 Le Case Del Girasole
 Le Case del Girasole offers self-catering apartments scattered around the historic centre of Cefalu´. Each apartment is just a short walk from t… MoreEUR 69 - 270 Hotel Tourist
 Just a few metres from the sea, Hotel Tourist offers an equipped private beach and an outdoor pool. It is on Cefalù’s promenade and most rooms over… MoreEUR 80 - 355 Hotel Riva Del Sole
 Hotel Riva del Sole is set on the seaside promenade of Cefalù. It offers a sea-view terrace, an on-site restaurant, free Wi-Fi and parking, and its o… MoreEUR 69 - 340 Hotel Le Calette
 Hotel Le Calette is set in a splendid bay, overlooking the sea, a short distance from the centre of Cefalù. It has a private beach, a spa, and a gree… MoreEUR 50 - 168 Hotel Ristorante La Giara
 Enjoy beautiful sea views from Hotel La Giara´s rooftop terrace. Situated in the heart of historic Cefalù, this simple hotel is a short walk fr… MoreEUR 65 - 195 Palazzo Maria
 With a roof terrace overlooking Cefalù’s cathedral and the sea, Palazzo Maria is just 200 metres from the sandy beach. It offers air-conditioned ac… MoreEUR 40 - 175 Palazzo Villelmi B&B
 Palazzo Villelmi is a recently restored, family-run bed and breakfast located in Cefalù historic centre. Enjoy lovely views of the sea and the square… MoreEUR 63 - 323 Villa Gaia Hotel
 Offering modern air-conditioned rooms with balconies overlooking the garden or the Mediterranean Sea, Villa Gaia Hotel is set on Cefalù´s seafr… MoreEUR 65 - 160 Villa Margherita
 Villa Margherita is set in the heart of Cefalù, on the beautiful Lungomare Giardina promenade. The panoramic terrace has views of the historic centre… MoreEUR 50 - 190 Vallegrande Residence
 Located on the North Sicilian Coast, 8 km from Cefalù, Vallegrande Residence features both sea and mountain views from each of its rooms and apartmen… MoreEUR 60 - 150 Santa Barbara
 Santa Barbara is a mix of guest rooms and self-catering apartments. It is located 1 km from Cefalù centre and has beautiful views of the sea and the … MoreEUR 90 - 190 Residence Il Monte
 Residence Il Monte offers panoramic views of the Mediterranea Sea from its hilltop location, a 10-minute drive from Cefalù. It features an outdoor po… MoreEUR 85 - 265 Hotel La Plumeria
 Overlooking the sea and only 150 metres from Cefalù Cathedral, Hotel La Plumeria is conveniently located in Cefalù’s historic centre. Parking is f… MoreEUR 39 - 249 Hotel Kalura
 Hotel Kalura is a long-established, family-run hotel offering numerous opportunities to enjoy leisure and sports activities in stunning Sicilian surro… MoreEUR 57 - 70 Atlantide B&B
 High on the hills above Cefalù, the Atlantide offers breathtaking views over the town itself, and on to the Tyrrhenian Sea, stretching out to the hor… MoreEUR 40 - 95 B&B La Finestra Sul Parco
 Nestled deep in green landscapes, close by the sea and surrounded by hills, this small cottage is found in Mollo, close to the small town Cefalù and … MoreEUR 56 - 180 Appartamenti Sicilianrealty
 Sicilianrealty´s spacious apartments are located around Cefalu´s historic centre, between 300 and 50 metres from the sea. There is a 24-ho… MoreEUR 49 - 300 Alberi Del Paradiso
 Alberi Del Paradiso is surrounded by lush gardens and has a large swimming pool and private beach. Take the free shuttle to the beach and the historic… MoreEUR 35 - 160 Al Pescatore
 Hotel Al Pescatore is a small structure with domestic management,1 km from the historical centre and 500 metres from the nearest beach. It is situated… MoreEUR 60 - 150 B&B Ma & Mi
 Enjoy a comfortable stay in this small bed and breakfast, ideally situated just 400 metres from the historical town centre of Cefalù and 600 metres a… MoreEUR 70 - 150 Bohémien B&B
 Bohémien B&B is located on the second floor of a traditional building of the 1920s, at the foot of the Rock of Cefalù. All rooms are air-conditioned… MoreEUR 40 - 170 Dolce Vita Bed and Breakfast
 Dolce Vita is a stylish, family-run B&B in Cefalu, just a few steps from the cathedral and the beach. You can admire a wonderful sea view from the com… MoreEUR 69 - 199 Hotel Baia Del Capitano
 Located just 400 metres from the beach and 5 km from the historic centre of Cefalù, Hotel Baia del Capitano features a private sandy beach and outdoo… MoreEUR 90 - 600 Cefalù Sea Palace
 Located a short walk down the coast from Cefalù centre, Cefalù Sea Palace offers stunning sea views, great wellness facilities and luxurious rooms, … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cefalu: Guide
Cefalù is an ancient city in the province of Palermo, located on the northern coast of Sicily, Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea about 75 km east from the provincial capital and 185 km west of Messina, Italy|Messina. The town is one of the major tourist attractions in the region. It has Roman baths, an ancient cathedral, marvellous beaches in the zone and is home to the sculptor (artist)|sculptor Tommaso Geraci.
Cefalù does not appear in history before 396 BC, and seems to have owed its importance mainly to its naturally strong position. The only ancient remains on the mountain are those of a small building in good polygonal work (a style of construction very rare in Sicily), consisting of a passage on each side of which a chamber opens. The doorways are of finely-cut stone, and of Greek type, and the date, though uncertain, cannot, from the careful jointing of the blocks, be very early.
On the summit of the promontory are extensive remains of a Saracenic castle. The town's fortifications formerly extended to the shore, on the side where the modern town now is, in the form of two long walls protecting the port. There are remains of a wall of massive rectangular blocks of stone at the modern Porta Garibaldi on the south.
The new town was founded at the foot of the mountain, by the shore, by Roger II of Sicily in 1131, and the cathedral was begun in the same year.
Main sights
The Cathedral
The Cathedral, begun in 1131, in a style of Norman architecture which would be more accurately called Sicilian Romanesque. The exterior is well preserved, and is largely decorated with interlacing pointed arches; the windows also are pointed. On each side of the façade is a massive tower of four storeys. The round-headed Norman portal is worthy of note. A semi-circular apse is set into the east end wall. Its strengthening counterforts that work like buttresses, are shaped as paired columns to lighten their aspect. The groined vaulting of the roof is visible in the choir and the right transept, while the rest of the church has a wooden roof. Fine cloisters, coeval with the cathedral, adjoin it.
The interior of the cathedral was restored in 1559, though the pointed arches of the nave, borne by ancient granite columns, are still visible: and the only mosaics preserved are those of the apse and the last bay of the choir: they are remarkably fine specimens of the Byzantine art of the period (1148) and, though restored in 1859-1862, have suffered much less than those at Palermo and Monreale from the process. The figure of the Pantocrator gracing the apse .
Other churches
Santa Maria dell'Odigitria, popularly referred to simply as Itria.
Santa Oliva
San Sebastiano
Sant'Andrea
San Leonardo
The Immacolatella
The Oratory of the Santissimo Sacramento
San Biagio (St. Blaise)
Santo Stefano
Santissima Trinità
Santissima Annunziata
The Monastery of St. Catherine
Others
The Seminary and the Bishops Palace
Palazzo Atenasio Martino
Palazzo Maria
Palazzo Pirajno
Osterio Magno
Not far from the town is the sanctuary of Gibilmanna.
References
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Cefalu". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.