Posted by katiep on Friday, May 19, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

On Thursday, May 18, we hiked up La Rocca in Cefalù: 

Hiking up this mountain was something that some of my villa-mates and I were looking forward to from our very first day in Cefalù and when the time finally came it was even better (and also a little bit worse because of the heat and each step reminding me of how much gelato I’ve eaten) than I could have imagined. Being up on “The Rock” allowed us to have a birds-eye view Cefalù. We were able to see the layout of the town, find the apartments my peers are staying in, as well as see the separation between the Greek and Arab influences on the town’s layout and architecture. My favorite view from La Rocca was of the Cathedral (which I learned looks like a snail from above).  From this vantage point the cathedral in Piazza Duomo looks even more out of place among the small rust colored roofs crowding the town. (Clearly, King Roger was fond of extravagance when he had architects begin the construction of this church.)

In addition to such spectacular views and a different point of view on the history of Cefalù, hiking up La Rocca meant walking through ruins of houses and even a castle!

(Ok, I was so distracted by the views that I didn’t actually get a decent picture of the ruins but you can see a bit of the castle in the bottom left-hand corner…)

When I hike at home I typically hike for the beautiful views of the Potomac River, the Virginia/Maryland landscape, to wear out my over-active puppy, and to eat the ice cream that I reward myself with afterward. Basically: when I hike at home, I hike for fun and bonding time with friends and family. However, while hiking up La Rocca, I was not only having a good time enjoying the amazing views and bonding with my classmates, but I was also walking directly through history. That’s not something that most people can easily do every day and while on “The Rock” it was easy to forget that we were walking the same gruesomely hot hike that civilians walked many years ago just to get home. Looking back on it, though, I realize how valuable of an experience that was–I wasn’t just hearing about the trek townspeople had to make just to get fresh water, I was actually doing it myself and experiencing the struggle of combating the heat, steep slopes, and slippery stones (I almost fell about five times, too…). After the hike, I can see why the houses atop La Rocca were eventually abandoned: the trek is just too strenuous and inefficient for basic survival needs. It seems like the poorer residents were almost better off being slightly lower on the mountain than their wealthier “neighbors” because they didn’t have to hike as far.

Despite the advantages of the elevation and the spectacular views, I think that inhabiting Cefalù at the base of La Rocca was a smart choice for efficiency. Don’t get me wrong–I would absolutely love to climb up “The Rock” again, but I couldn’t imagine climbing up and down it numerous times each day to get food and water.