Cefalu' Beaches and surroundings, Palermo

Cefalù is a well-equipped seaside resort on a beautiful section of coast where long sandy beaches alternate with rocks where small bays open far from the crowd. Here is a selection of the best beaches.

• Il Lungomare (the promenade)

  This is Cefalù long (1.5 km) sandy beach, equipped with establishments that rent beach chairs and umbrellas. It's very crowded on weekends in July and August. The water is shallow and safe, making it ideal for families.

• Le Salinelle

  The long beach of Le Salinelle is 7 km from Cefalù in the direction of Palermo. The beach is sandy and, in the summer, there are lidos and bars. It's recommended for windsurfers.

• Mazzaforno

  This resort is located about 3 km west of Cefalù, there you can choose from many small beaches alternating with rocks that can be reached by paths. The main beach is sandy and equipped with bars and bathing establishments.

• Caldura

  Caldura has a delightful beach of cobblestones surrounded by rocks that invite you to take fun dives into the clear water. The beach is about a 20-minute walk from the center of Cefalù past the tourist port. There is a sign at the port indicating the path.

• Finale di Pollina

  This spectacularly beautiful beach is located next to the Valtur Resort (12 km from Cefalù); it consists of sand and cobblestones and is appreciated for its clear water and lovely location. The young people of the area flock there during the summer for evenings of music, fireworks on the beach and a lot of fun.

• Castel di Tusa

  Is a charming quarter facing the sea, famous for housing a very unique hotel: the Art Hotel Atelier sul Mare. Which is a museum-hotel conceived as a work of art where the rooms were realized by internationally recognized contemporary artists.

• On the rolling hills behind Castel di Tusa, it's possible to visit an open-air museum of monumental sculptures distributed amidst the region. Which is the Fiumara d'Arte (literally, river of art), a project made on the request of Sicily's magnate Antonio Presti which commissioned the large works of art to famous international artists. Where as the rolling hills behind Castel di Tusa nestle the beautiful medieval village of Tusa which contains numerous historic churches.

Madonie Natural Park

The mountains of the "Parco Regionale delle Madonie" rise immediately behind Cefalù. The park is a luxuriant wilderness with a great variety of landscapes. There is also a wealth of plant and animal species; here you will find more than half of the 2600 plant species of Sicily.

The landscapes are very varied: the north slope is steeper and covered with thick forests; the central area consists of plateaus and a large mountain chain with peaks almost 2,000 meters high. This area preserves the original holm-oak and beech forest and unique species like the ancient giant holly trees of Piano Pomo.

Le Madonie is also a great inhabited park, and has been for a very long time. So, a visit to the park is also an opportunity to discover the many villages the surround it, a journey through the local crafts and the millennial peasant tradition.

One of the centers with the richest history is Castelbuono: the town, which is surrounded by a landscape of chestnut and holly trees, is dominated by the mass of the castle (visitable) and it has a wealth of traditions and works of art. For a long time it was a fief of the Ventimiglia family, the Counts of Geraci, who promoted business development as part of their political strategy to create a small, independent state.

For information:

Ente Parco delle Madonie

tel. 0921.684011 - fax 0921.680478

Excursion base center: tel. 0921.684027

www.parcodellemadonie.it