Page 168 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Tempio di Diana • Daily: summer 9am–6.45pm; winter closes at least an hour before sunset • Free

Towering above cathedral and town, and accessible by a stepped footpath at the side
of the Banco di Sicilia in Piazza Garibaldi, is the mountain of La Rocca. A steep

twenty-minute climb takes you to the so-called Tempio di Diana, a megalithic
structure adapted in the fifth century BC by the addition of classical doorways, their
lintels still in place. A path continues upwards, right around the crag, through
pinewoods and wild fennel, dipping in and out of a surviving stretch of medieval wall
to the sketchy fortifications at the very top. You can then cut down to the temple and
rejoin the path back into town, the whole walk taking a little over an hour – take water
with you, as it’s a strenuous climb.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: CEFALÙ

By train The train station is south of the centre, ten minutes’ walk from the main old-

town street, Corso Ruggero.

Destinations Messina (12 daily; 2hr 15min–3hr); Milazzo (12 daily; 1hr 40min–2hr);
Palermo (1–2 hourly; 1hr); Sant’Agata di Militello (hourly; 1hr); Santo Stefano di
Camastra (hourly; 30min); Termini Imerese (1–2 hourly; 25min).

By bus Buses pull into Piazza Stazione outside the train station.

Destinations Caccamo (2 daily; 45min); Castelbuono (7 daily Mon–Sat, 2 daily Sun;

40min); Gangi (1 daily; 1hr 45min–2hr); Geraci (2 daily Mon–Sat, 1 daily Sun; 1hr
25min); Gibilmanna (3 daily; 30min); Palermo (3 daily Mon–Sat, 1 daily Sun; 1hr);
Petralia (1 daily Mon–Sat; 2hr).

By car There is residents-only parking throughout the old town, so the best advice is
to park on the seafront, either in the metered places along the promenade (€1 per hour,
free midnight–8am) or in the patrolled car park (€6/12hr), just after the Riva del Sole

hotel beyond Via Archimede.

GETTING AROUND

Bike and scooter rental Scooter for Rent, Via Vittorio Emanuele 57 ( 338 230
9008, scooterforrent.it), has mountain bikes (from €15/day) and scooters (€25–
35/half-day, €35–50 /day).

Car rental Siciltravel, Piazza Garibaldi 9 ( 0921 420 090).

Taxis There’s a taxi rank outside the train station at Piazza Stazione ( 0921 422
554).

INFORMATION