Next stop on our amazing Sicilian adventure was Cefalù (*the train ride along the northern coastline was simply divine). Wedged between mountains and coastline, the serene town of Cefalù is small but popular for its sandy beaches, traditional restaurants, and vibrant nightlife scene.

Cobblestone narrow streets, ancient architecture, palm trees, salty air and friendly locals gave the feeling of being in another world (*literally a world of difference compared to the busy and chaotic streets of Palermo).  We had just a day to explore this amazing town and we didn’t waste a minute of it (*yes, we were cutting it quite close).

Aside from the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries, grilled fish and fresh fruit (*mouthwatering ooohhh), Cefalù is home to the beautiful Duomo di Cefalù also commonly known as The Cathedral-Basilica. It is almost a thousand years old and has no doubt seen many changes over that time.

The Piazza outside the Duomo was another delightful corner with tourists basking under the sun outside restaurants and flourishing palm trees (*the cost of food, drink and even the coffee was twice the normal amount and we made the wisest decision to not empty our pockets in one of those inviting restaurants).

Without stopping to catch our breaths, we headed over to the Lavatoio Medievale (*many of you who have studied Roman history would know this one – no privacy right?? Whatever happened to shower curtains?). It is one of the many historical landmarks throughout the region and is tucked away from the sun’s unrelenting rays. It was a journey into the past, imagining a different time and place far away from our own.

It was here (*well around the corner) that we put our feet up and had a delicious and refreshing sorbet called ‘Granita’ (*which can be found in any corner and in all flavours imaginable), before heading down to the beach for a quick dip (*a lot of elbowing and dirty looks as we tried to find a square foot of sand through all the umbrellas which had carpeted the beachfront).

Later that evening, we feasted on the beach, listening to soft music in the background and the chatter of lively voices in mixed languages (*it was heaven).

“Fresh fish dinner, feet in the sand, ocean in the eye, waves in the ear and salt on the skin”. It was indeed Pura Vida!

We left the next morning for Milazzo where we would take a ferry to Lipari and of course we couldn’t leave without a typical Sicilian breakfast, complete with lemon Granita!