Cefalu

Situated east of Palermo, this wonderful town is famous for its mosaics that rival any in Byzantium.

 

Cefalu

This beautiful town east of Palermo on Sicily's north coast is worth another visit. famous for it's mosaics it also has superb examples of Norman architecture. These photos are all around the famous church and show the cloister and the general area surrounding the church. The place is a bit touristy and I avoided the usual tourist trappings that go along with such places.

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Cefalu'

Located  East of Palermo on Sicily's northern coast, this town is famous for it's Duomo with exquisite mosaics. It's very touristy and I tried to off the beaten track to shoot some photos of the real place not the theme park version that some street have sadly become.

Cefalu, la cattedrale

Before Cefalu became very touristy, it's main attraction was and of course still is, it's monumental  cathedral whose mosaics rival hose of Ravenna.  Connoisseurs have always raved about them and it;s easy to see why. Built by king Rogers the Second, a Norman, it precedes the wonderful Gothic cathedrals that were later built in France. This  style was never popular in Italy whose sole example is the duomo di Milano that is not a full fledged Gothic cathedral. Italian preferred to go on with the Romanesque style that although laden with superb works of art both in paintings ans sculptures, architecturally, at least, was not as spectacular. Of course the Renaissance churches in Florence with their amazing cupolas were architectural feats of unsurpassed complexity and achievement.
What we have in Cefalu is a rather spartan church from the outside but absolutely glorious on the inside. The same can be said of the cathedrals of Monreale and Palermo, among others.

Have a wonderful Thursday / Buon giovedi'

Cefalu

This ancient fishing town east of Palermo has been for many years a tourist Mecca. It is a lovely place but it's main  cultural attraction is it's cathedral with it;s mosaics; more to follow on this topic.
We ate lunch in a place that appeared to be a cafe,  I had linguine allo scoglio, linguine pasta with sea food, while my dear Marcy had spaghetti alle vongole, spaghetti with little local clams. Both dishes were delicious. At first we were hesitant to eat here as the place  was somewhat touristy but the food turned out to be memorable.