Page 185 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Pettineo, in the environs of the striking hilltop hamlet of Castel di Lucio, from
where you can either return the way you came, back to the coast, or continue on to
Mistretta, which offers an alternative way back down to Santo Stefano di Camastra
(or on over the mountains to Nicosia).

Halaesa

Daily 9am–1hr before sunset • €2

Just 3km up the road from Castel di Tusa, on the way to the village of Tusa, are the
sparse ruins of Halaesa, a fifth-century BC Sikel settlement that enjoyed some success
under Rome. The name derives from the Greek alaomal, meaning to wander aimlessly,
and refers to the original settlers here, the peripatetic Alesini, who had tried settling

just about everywhere else. You can make out the chequered layout of the streets,
remains of the agora, and – at the highest point – foundations of two third-century BC
temples, with lofty views down over the Tusa valley.

ACCOMMODATION: CASTEL DI TUSA

L’Atelier Sul Mare Via Cesare Battisti 4 0921 334 295, ateliersulmare.com.
Just metres from the sea, many of the rooms here have been given the designer-art
treatment by individual artists: one is adorned with Arabic and Italian poetry and
sports a mammoth window looking onto the sea, with a shower that works like a car
wash, while another is bathed in a red glow at night. Other rooms are more

conventionally styled, though still with original artworks and furnishings. €140

Santo Stefano di Camastra

Cefalù aside, quite the nicest stop along the Tyrrhenian coast is SANTO STEFANO
DI CAMASTRA, reached by train or via a quick drive along the SS113. It’s actually
much the better for being split in two – beach and harbour below (where the train

station is) and town high above, the latter forming a handsome old grid on a panoramic
shelf of land. A steep cobbled path connects the two. Santo Stefano is renowned for its
colourful ceramic work and the road through town is lined with shops selling platters,
plates, cups, jugs, statues, household goods and decorative pottery. Off the main road,
the old town is kept largely free of traffic and there’s a small public garden, a

belvedere with sea views and a pedestrianized main street, Via Vittorio Emanuele,
of shops, cafés, boutiques and grocery stores. It’s touristy certainly, but all very
charming, while in the signposted Museo della Ceramica (Tues–Sun 9am–1pm & 4–
8pm; free), in the handsome Palazzo Trabia, you can admire the best historic examples
of the local pottery.

THE MONTI NÉBRODI