Posted by matthewd on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

Since first arriving in Cefalù, hiking La Rocca was one of the things I was most excited for. La Rocca is significant to Cefalù, because it is the large rock that is unique to the town and also likely gives the town its name. Like I said in my earlier blog post, it is likely that the name Cefalù stems from the Phoenician word meaning “rock,” or the Greek word meaning “head” because the rock, apparently, resembles a head.

Before we started our hike, there was a required 4 Euro admission fee, which Professor Greenfield mentioned is relatively new. What surprised me was that I also found out that the fee doesn’t go towards the maintenance of the trail, as one would expect in the US. This generally captures the Sicilian way of life, which is a slower culture than the US. Maybe the money will eventually go towards maintaining the trail.

The beginning of the trail was a long series of steps that winded through the fortified ancient entrance to the town. It is interesting to know that the town actually used to be located on the rock. This is an impressive feat of manpower, as just walking up the rock alone was tiring, nonetheless carrying gigantic boulders and stones like the ones found in the ruins. It is thought that people lived on top of the rock as long ago as the 10^th century BC. The town moved a few times, and the last time it was civilized on La Rocca was for some 100 years in order to avoid the incoming Arab invasion. However, life atop of the rock is not vary sustainable, as getting water is much harder than it is at sea level. Their main way of getting water was via huge basins that would fill up with rain water.

The second portion of the hike was a windy and slippery path. However, reaching the top was very rewarding. Along the way, we saw the ancient Diana temple, which is likely the oldest structure atop of the rock. Also, we saw Cefalù’s signature cross that lights up at night. It is surprising how big the cross actually is considering how small it looks from the town.

From the top, we were able to see breathtaking views of the Sicilian landscape, the Mediterranean, as well as a bird’s eye view of Cefalù. Having a bird’s eye view helped us to understand the history of the town, as the half closer to the water is simpler and characteristic of Greek civilization, while the upper portion away from the water is much more random, and periodically build around courtyards, characteristic of Arab civilization.

Also at the top are the ruins of a castle, where we stopped for a picnic in the shade. I was surprised to learn that the castle was only destroyed in the 18^th/19^th century from fire and earthquakes. I love seeing the old castles and temples, as structures like these just don’t exist in the US. Hiking back down the rock was much easier than it was to climb up. After the hike, we got some well-deserved gelato.

The civilizations that built their homes on top of the Rocca did it for a defensive advantage. This really put into perspective just how necessary it was to be able to defend your town, especially in a place like Sicily in which pretty much every ancient Civilization could have used to their advantage, especially for trade. Places in the US aren’t generally built for a defensive advantage, as times have changed. This is evident in the fact that Cefalù returned back down to Sea level. Ancient Sicilian civilizations really did as much as they had to in order to protect themselves, even if it meant extreme physical exhaustion from carrying their necessities up a mountain.

Water Basin

Diana Temple

Sicilian Landscape

Bird’s Eye View

Cefalu Cross