HOW TO GET TO THE ROCK OF CEFALÚ

The rock It is an immense mass that dominates the city of Cefalu and the surrounding area, on whose top the remains of an old castle are perched. Currently, parts of the different defensive walls are preserved, the castle on the top, two cisterns that were used to accumulate water and supply the population that lived inside, and the ruins of a megalithic temple called the Temple of Diana.

Historically it has a lot of wealth and it is convenient to know its past before throwing it up. However, best of all are the views that are obtained from different points along the way, and in the castle ruin on the top. Next we tell more about the Cefalù Rock and how to visit.

Long before the city we know today was built on the seashore, there were already settlements on the huge limestone rocky promontory. In fact, you have to go back to prehistoric times to find the first inhabitants. During the years, the rock was not uninhabited, and remains of different eras are preserved, such as the pre-Hellenic ruins of the Temple of Diana (the only ones of that time in all of Sicily), or the castle of the ss. XII and XIII.

Cefalu It comes from the word "head" in the ancient Greek and, as you can imagine, it refers to the gigantic rock that dominates the coast, and you, dear friend, are about to climb!

I tell you the route that I did, which is in the form of loop and that passes through the Castle, as well as through the ruins of the Temple of Diana, the cisterns and the Church of Santa Ana. It took me about 30 minutes to the top, and to make the complete tour 1 hour and a half.

To start the ascent, we will first have to go through ticket office. Yes, the entrance is not free, but you have to pay a fee of € 4. From this point the Staircase of the Saracens, a paved stairway that zigzags, until you reach the first wall. Here the first one is preserved entrance door of these walls, which you will have to go through, and from the battlements themselves you will have the first panoramic view. After the wall, the road is still in good condition, and obviously continues to climb.

A short distance we will have to pass a second wall, which seems in worse condition. The road at the moment is easy and we are still in the shelter of the pines, although it will be for a short time. The route has no loss, the trails are well marked on the ground, and you will only have to deviate on a couple of occasions. The first is now, just after passing that second wall, on the left you reach the ruins of the Temple of Diana, but it is best to take the right direction, on the way to the Castle.

We will have already left the paved road and now we are walking on a path of loose stones and dirt, and we must be careful not to twist an ankle. In addition the pines have disappeared and the sun hits us fully. Actually it is not as serious as it seems, in fact when I went up the majority of those who accompanied me were jubilets (good guys, huh).

After approximately 30-40 minutes going up, and after spending a second fork where will you take the detour of the right, you reach the third wall, which surrounds the upper part of the Rock. I recommend following it on the left, to see the east coast first towards Capo d'Orlando and a construction that looks like a prison.

Unintentionally you will see yourself in the castle ruins, at 263 meters above sea level, and you will freak out in colors. If Cefalu is a beautiful town seen from its own streets, from the heights it is a real past. Also from the top you have a splendid view of the coastline and the mountains in the background.

Take all the time you want, drink water and rest. The descent begins where you have arrived, but remember the last fork: there turn to the ruins. The descent is a steeper and wild tad, but in a jiffy you will reach the Diana's Temple and one of the cisterns. This temple is a megalithic construction from the 9th century BC. C., considered the only preclassic monument of Sicily. He dedicated himself to Diana, the goddess of the moon and water.

Eye, because you will already believe that you have seen the best of the tour. Error! For me, the best time was to reach the lookouts what's along the Wall. They are a few meters from the ruins. First take the path to the right and you will see yourself right on the Cefalù Cathedral. If you continue to the other side, down, you will see a “little girl". At this time you can skip the signal and follow touring the wallup to last viewpoint, and return to this point.

From this crossing, you only have to go through the ruins of the Santa Ana Church and those of the largest cistern. Later you will join at the point of the first fork that you found when climbing, and the ticket office.

It is always good to take into account some recommendations not to screw it up. Here are a few:

• The admission costs € 4, in principle you can pay only by card or with coins, although I paid with a € 10 bill and there was no problem.
• The schedule It is: from April 1 to October 31 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the rest of the year from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I guess the sunset from up here has to be impressive.
• Even if it is not a particularly hot day, carry water with you. A Cap Y Solar protection They are not too much.
• It `s important to carry closed and appropriate shoes. Let's see, basically don't go in flip flops!
• Not especially hard, it is a bit steep (the slope is about 200 meters from the ticket office) and there are loose rocks where you can twist an ankle, but in general anyone can do it (climb, do not twist the ankle XD).
• The trails are well marked on the ground, and there are only two places to deviate, with signs indicating each direction. It has no loss.
• To get to the top you it takes 30-40 minutes. In making the entire route approximately 1 hour and a half.
• Upon returning, go through the Via Carbonari. There, pay attention to your left side because you will pass through the narrowest street we have ever seen!

Here we leave you some maps with the most important points to plan your climb, the slope and the routes.

For us, climb to the Cefalù Rock It was one of the best moments of the trip, and something we recommend you do if you go through this city. We hope that with this info you can prepare the visit!