Posted by matthewd on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

Our walking tour of Cefalù with Vittoria began at Piazza Garibaldi, one of the main squares in town that has many small restaurants, a clock tower, and a bank, among other things. The clock tower is the most interesting building in the Piazza, as it still has large stones as a part of its infrastructure that may date back as old as 800 BC. Another interesting fact about the tower is that it was originally used as the city’s main entrance, but was later converted in the 18^th century. This entrance was one of a couple of land entrances, but there were a few sea entrances as well (pictured). This is something that separates Cefalù from American towns, as there are not usually designated entrances in the US. This stems from the fact that all the towns and cities in the US are significantly younger than Cefalù.

After our stop in Piazza Garibaldi, we walked up an extremely narrow alley to a part of Cefalù I had not discovered. It had a beautiful view of the terracotta rooftops of Cefalù and the Mediterranean Sea. Here we learned about the rich history of the town. I was surprised to find out that Cefalù may be as old as the 10^th century BC, as evidenced by old graffiti on the other side of town.

Right on the other side of where we were standing was the massive rock that the city was built around, known as La Rocca di Cefalù. It is thought that the name “Cefalù” comes from either the Greek word meaning head, because La Rocca resembles a human head, or the Phoenician word that means rock. We also learned about the 2,500-year-old temple of Diana located at the top of the rock, which makes me even more excited to hike it tomorrow. Another fact that surprised me was that for some 100 years, the Arabs moved the town on top of the rock, but it was later moved back down because of a lack of water.

Our next stop was the Duomo, the gigantic church located in the center of town. This is another way Cefalù varies from many American towns and cities, as in the US towns and cities are not usually built around a church. The Duomo is much too big for such a small town, so it raises question as to why. A myth is that a Norman king was traveling to Palermo in hurricane like conditions, and made a promise to Jesus that if they made it safely that he would build an honorary church in his name. The Norman king landed just a bit away from Palermo, in modern day Cefalù. However, there is no evidence backing this story so it is most likely false. A more likely reason is that the Norman king was given Apostolic power and needed a church for his bishop. However, he died before the Duomo could be finished, so his brother, who was now in power, was not interested in finishing the church. There is a lot of evidence that the Church was never finished, including exterior arches and a lack of mosaics that are normally found in similar churches.

The architecture of the Church is awe-inspiring, with influences from the Arabs, Byzantines, and Normans. The pointed arches are very classic Arab architecture. The mosaics on the inside, which are under renovation, are Byzantine. All-in-all, the Duomo is unique because of its various cultural influences. The windows were my favorite part of the church, as they tell the story of creation, with the final, and largest window, artistically representing the final judgement.

Our walking tour ended at an outdoor bath area where women, up until the 1960s, used an underground creek to wash their clothes. Although Cefalù as we see it today was originally built by the Normans, it was eye-opening to learn about the various civilizations that influenced the town as we know it. The town, part of which is simple and Greek-like, and another part that is random and Arab-like, captures what is means to be Sicilian. Prior to coming to Sicily, I had thought that Sicily was just a part of Italy. As I learn more and more about its history, I now know that is the various influences of different civilizations that give Sicilians their pride in being Sicilian, not just Italian.

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