Agrigento to Cefalu….our final stop in Sicily
Categories France/Italy/France 2022..... another Mega RoadtripNovember 10th to 17th
A lovely morning with a temperature of 17C as we leave Agrigento heading for Cefalu, which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. With very little traffic it is an easy drive, the interior reminds us somewhat of the interior of B.C. hilly and rather barren. It gets quite pretty near Castelbuono where we meet the paid Autostrada. Leaving the toll gate we are stopped by the police but my guilty conscience can’t think of anything we have done wrong…he checks our papers carefully going over the car registration, and International Drivers Permit ( I am quite happy I spent the 25 bucks and got one before leaving Canada) and eventually wishes us a safe journey. Getting back in the car I tell Annie I couldn’t find my wallet…oh no…do we have to drive back to Agrigento…next pullover we stoop and search our luggage …after searching all the bags I finally find it “hidden” inside some underwear…I am a bit zealous when hiding our valuables…
Cefalu, with a population of just under 14,000, is one of the major magnets in the region. Despite its size, every year it attracts millions of tourists from all parts of Sicily and also, from all over Italy and Europe.
We park by the railroad station and grab some of our luggage, unfortunately, we cannot park any closer to the Centro Storica where our AIRBNB is located so we have to hump everything to our unit and then climb 97 stairs to reach our apartment (btw if you use AIRBNB don’t be shy about trying to negotiate a better price especially if you are in the shoulder or off-season >>> we ended getting a pretty sweet deal. We are staying just off Corso Ruggero in the absolute heart of the town close to just about everything, should be fun as we will be here for 7 nights!! A quick lunch of Panelle And Panino Con Le Panelle – chickpea fritters and sandwiches and Arancini – fried rice balls…
…afterward, we meet our host to get the keys and a rundown of the unit just a few meters from where we had lunch …pics below:
Our goal for the next few days is to do nothing too major as we have pretty well checked off almost everything on our ” Italy To Do List” …the historic part of the town is quite compact but also extremely pleasant and contrary to some of my previous comments super clean. View of Corso Ruggero, the main street from our balcony, and pics of some of the major sites closeby including the Piazza del Duomo (click on images to enlarge):
It is a nice feeling to settle into a relaxed routine of not doing too much and just settling into the rhythm of the town e.g. parents escorting kids to school in the morning (btw parents carry their kids’ backpacks unlike in Canada), tourists slowly coming into town, and of course the nightly passeggiata. It is kind of nice to be going out without a specific plan of action:
One afternoon we decide to go to the Vecchio Molo (old fishing port) which with its pier offers excellent views of the town…unfortunately we are stopped by security and learn that they are filming some scenes for an Italian TV series The Lions of Sicily… so no sunset walks on the pier! Click on pics in circles to enlarge and the back button to see the next one…
It seems clear that Cefalu is very tourist oriented and makes a serious effort to make itself attractive to as many types of tourists as possible…today we stumbled on a go-cart race which is part of an Italian circuit…they certainly take it seriously and it was a fun distraction (click on images to enlarge):
We had wanted to hike up the La Rocca, a cliff that rises to a height of about 268 meters (879 feet), above Cefalu. However, we were denied entry gate as it had rained the night before and the paths, many of which are stone were considered to be dangerous.
Today after taking in some of the go-kart races in the morning we gave it another try. Aside from the panoramic views of the town and surrounding area, there are also the remnants of fortifications from the Middle Ages and cisterns that were carved out of the rock to sustain those taking refuge from various invaders. The alleyways from the town center rise steeply to the entry gate from which a stone path leads upward passing viewpoints and eventually changing into a dirt path finally summiting at the ruins of a castle… click on pics to enlarge
We were thinking of driving to Palermo but had heard and read that driving there is nigh on suicidal…..discretion being the better part of valor we instead took the train > a much more sedate experience. It takes an hour and costs 24 Euro for us both…perfectly on time going and returning.
It was a quick visit and the town (at least the areas we visited) while gritty in places is vibrant and has some excellent examples of Baroque architecture. After alighting at the main station we headed for the Ballaro market but somehow we wandered into a rougher hood that boasted a small but quite animated market …click on images to enlarge
As it turned out the Ballaro market (in operation for some 1,000 years) was only a few blocks further on…Click on pics in circles to enlarge and the back button to see the next one
…it is fair sized, offering a wider range of products/services including a number of small eateries ….super fun, the stall holders periodically start shouting out info about their wares which in turn causes their competitors to shout in response …all in an effort to garner interest in their stall….this “sales pitch concert” is called “abbanniate”. This is a far cry (pun intended) from the markets we know St. Lawrence Market/Atwater Market let alone our local farm markets. Oh, and the “street food” was great, although I did pass on the “stigghiola”, a Sicilian delicacy consisting of lamb or veal intestines…should we ever return it might be interesting to do a food tour…click on images to enlarge
One can easily spend a fair bit of time in Palermo and perhaps we should have done that as there is quite a bit to see including some pretty cool churches and architectural treasures with a Muslim influence (9th to 11th century AD) …a few that we had a chance to glance at…
Time to find a place for a quick bite, not an easy chore with so many choices…
…after we had made short work of several arancinis (deep fried rice balls with a filling) chased down by some local beers…but decided against an Aperol although the place did look inviting:
….it was time to visit the Monastero S. Caterina which inter alia has the convent bakery where nuns still make various Sicilian sweets and cakes…nice to sit in the garden and enjoy a few slices of absolutely delicious cake…
A few more places to checkout:
…and it is time to call it a day and hoof it back to the train station, albeit not in the horse and buggy…
….and thence back to Cefalu…
It is a small town but there is a lot to see and do, so we spent our last days taking some walks and checking out more of the town…click to enlarge images
A nice final dinner at Ristorante Antares (beachside, but at night all you could hear were the waves which in itself was pleasing) in a fitting end to our stay in Cefalu. Tomorrow we will be departing for the mainland if all goes well…
