CEFALU
sicilia
Cefalù is a town in the Province of Palermo. Of Greek origin, its current name right deriving from Greek Kephaloidion meaning head or chief. Enjoyng a splendid position and clearly visible from the road running north from Palermo, Cefalù is a fishing village, now one of the major tourist attractions in the region.
Sites: Piazza Garibaldi, Corso Ruggero (Osterio Magno), Cathedral, Mandralisca Museum, Medieval Public Washhouse, Porta Marina, Rocca, Sanctuary of Gibilmanna.
Piazza Garibaldi
Piazza Garibaldi is the site of the ancient Gate of Land. Here we can see the ruins of the fortifications dating back to the V-IV century BC. On the square appears the Baroque Church of Santa Maria in Chains, which bell tower includes the ruins of the ancient megalith walls.
Corso Ruggero
Corso Ruggero starts from Piazza Garibaldi. Cefalù's main thoroughfare overlies the ancient Roman decumans which bisects the town on a north-south axis. The two resulting areas have quite different character: to the west lies the medieval quarter, a labyrinth of narrow streets dotted with steps, arches and narrow passageways; to the east, a network of perpendicular, regular streets. The difference can probably be attributed to the two different social classes that lived in the two quarters: the western half was occupied by the common people while in the eastern side were the clergy and the aristocracy.
Osterio Magno - In Corso Ruggero there is the "Osterio Magno", one of the very few medieval evidences. The name means "fortified palace". The tradition wants that the "Osterio Magno" was built as King Roger II's residence. In XIV century the palace was a Ventimiglia Family's property and was their winter residence. At the beginning of the XVII century the palace was given to the Dominicans Friars and then was divided in flats and stores. It is formed by two units dating from different periods. The older, two-coloured side, built of lava and gold-coloured stone, overlooking Via Amendola and graced by two elegant mullioned windows, dates from the late 1200s. The adjoining square tower, on the corner of Corso Ruggero, was built in the 1300s and has a fine three-light window set into an elaborate Chiaramonte-style arch. The palace, now completely restored, is used for temporary exhibitions.
Cathedral
The Cathedral of Cefalù, dating from 1131, was commenced in the Norman style. According to the tradition, the building was erected after a vow made to the Holy Saviour by the King of Sicily, Roger II, after he escaped from a storm to land on the city's beach. The fortress-like character of the building, which, seen from a distance, rises as a huge bulk above its medieval town, may in part reflect the vulnerability of the site to attack from the sea. It also made a powerful statement of the Norman presence. Numerous changes were made over succeeding centuries and the edifice was never entirely completed. The exterior is well preserved. The cathedral is preceded by a large terraced parvise (called "turniali"), which was originally a cemetary. According to tradition, it was created with earth brought from Jerusalem, having the peculiarity of a causing the rapid mummification of the corpses. The famous facade is characterized by the presence of two large Norman towers, with mullioned windows, each surmounted by small spire added in the XV century. Each spire is different: one has a square plan surrounded by flame-shaped merlons, the latter symbolizing the Papal authority and the mitre; the other has an octagonal plan and Ghibelline merlons, symbolizing the Royal and the temporal power. The XV-century portico has three arches, the two outer being pointed, supported by four columns, and vaulting ribs. Under the portico is the "Porta Regium" (Kings' Door), with a finely decorated marble portal flanked by wall paintings.
The interior of the cathedral is on the Latin cross plan, divided into a nave and two aisles by arcades of antique columns: fourteen in pink granite and two in cipolin. The roof of the nave was lowered, as can be seen from the exterior of the building. The transept is higher then both the nave and aisles. While parts of the building are barrel vaulted and parts have an open timber roof, the presbytery has a ribbed vault of stone. The chancel is adorned with wonderful mosaics, in a spectacular array of colours on a gold background. The eye is immediately attracted to the huge majestic image of the Christ Pantocrator gazing down from the apse. In the upper tier of the apsidal walls is depicted the Blessed Virgin Mary, her hands raised in prophesy and flanked by four archangels. In the second and third tiers, on either the side of the central window, are figures of apostles and evangelists, placed according a planned theological program. The basilica houses several funerary monuments, including a late Antique sarcophagus, a medieval one, and the notable sepulchre of the Bishop Castelli of the XVIII century. The baptismal font of the XII century, carved from a single block of stone, is decorated with four small sculpted lions. The church also houses a canvas of the Madonna from Antonello Gagini's workshop (XVI century) and a painted wooden cross by Guglielmo da Pesaro (1468). The cathedral has a cloister which may be entered from within the church. The arcade has pointed arches each of which rests on thin paired columns. While the form is not unlike those of Spanish and some French cloisters, the composite capitals of the paired columns are distinctly Byzantine in their motifs, having creatures such as lions and eagles that are mirror-images, facing each other as in many of the decorative carvings of Ravenna.
Mandralisca Museum
The museum was founded at the request of one of Cefalù's most generous benefactors, Baron Enrico Piraino di Mandralisca a 1900's art collector who bequeathed his art treasures and extensive library (more than 6000 books). The museum holds a collection of coins and medals; a series of paintings among which is the beautiful "Portrait of Unknown" by Antonello da Messina around 1470; archaeological relics mostly from Lipari, among which is an unusual bell-shaped Krater illustrating a tuna seller (IV century BC); a changing selection of molluscs taken from an extensive collection of some 2000, and a variety of art objects, among which is a Chinese puzzle in ivory.
Medieval Public Washhouse
In Via Vittorio Emanuele there is the Public Washhouse known as "Medieval Public Washhouse", close to the Late-Renaissance Martino Palace. In 1514 it was demolished and rebuilt in a more back position respect the city walls, and the river was covers in XVII century. The Public Washhouse, utilized by the women until some time ago, has a flight of steps in lava-stone that leads to a paving smooth by the time and a series of basins that fill up with the water from the river. In the basins are evident the supports used to rub the clothes.
Porta Marina
Porta Marina, formed by a Gothic arch, is the only survivor gate of the four that in origin interrupted the city walls. The gate gives the access to the little harbour and to the houses that appears on the sea; for this reason it is one of the most characteristic place of Cefalù.
Rocca
The Rocca is not only the beautiful setting that marks the imagine of Cefalù, but it is also integral part of the same Cefalù, that expanded from its slopes. Finds on this rocky outcrop confirm it to have accommodated the earliest settlements in the area with evidence from different periods in history including the ruins of an ancient Greek megalithic building, known as Temple of Diana. At the top, are remnants of a castle dating from between the XII-XIII century. From the top extends a wonderful view ranging from Capo d'Orlando to Palermo.
Sanctuary of Gibilmanna
The shrine dedicated to the Virgin is set amidst oak and walnut woods at some 800m a.s.l. Its name refers (from Arabic Jabel meaning "mountain") to its location atop a mount, while the second part relates to the tradition, now obsolete, of making "manna". It is supposed to have been one of the six Benedictine communities or "coenobites" founded at the behest of Gregory the Great in the VI century; it passed to the Capuchin Friars Minor in 1535. The present building is the result of numerous changes, above all in the Baroque period. Inside, the "Chapel of Our Lady" (1625) preserves an XI-century Byzantine fresco depicting the Virgin and Child dating from an earlier Benedictine building, and a statue of the Virgin, possibly the work of Antonello Gagini, set into an ornamented baroque altar. The building next to the convent, once used as a stable and guest-rooms, was converted into an interesting Museum dedicated to the life and culture of the Capuchin Friars of the Demone Valley. On display are 1600's-1700's sacred vestments, paintings, tools (the community was completely self-sufficient), objects worked from base materials such as wood, tin and wax, as was the custom for this order. Of particular interest are a polyptych by Frà Feliciano (at the time he was Domenico Guargena), a 1500's alabaster rosary belonging to Frà Giuliano da Placia and a small 1700's reed organ. The catacombs contains the reliquaries in painted tin or wood made by the friars.
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