In Cefalù

April 23, 2023

Another rest day in a tourist town and this is the most touristy one yet. We could have gone for a day ride I suppose, but we’ve just had two fairly big riding days and we have 3 more after today, so rest is in order.

The weather is quite nice today, perhaps more typical for late April in Sicily. Our host, Salvatore, told us this morning that winter came very late and there hasn’t really been a spring. It was winter until last week and now it’s summer.

We walked around the town and I tried taking photos but I’m not particularly pleased with the results. Oh well, I’ll include a few anyway.

Love the mailbox on the right, though I don’t know if the idiom is the same in Italian (or Sicilian).

We went into the Norman Cathedral again this morning. We’d gone in yesterday afternoon but there was a Mass in progress so we left. This is one of the things I’d wanted to visit so I was disappointed that the area at the front was screened off, presumably for restoration work. And thin, this being Sunday, another Mass started shortly after we entered.

We sat down to listen to first hymn and then the priest came in with the altarboys in a procession from a side door. There was a censer and incense, something I remember happening only once or twice in my Canadian childhood, attending mass every week until I moved out. Then the priest started singing Mass. I’ve only heard Mass sung, as opposed to spoken, once before, for my father’s funeral. We left when the first reading started.

Sitting on the steps of the Cathedral watching all the people. Note the banners on the hoarding around the piazza.

The piazza in front of the Cathedral is being resurfaced.

My view while dining on a seaside terrace. The wine was excellent.

About those banners on the hoarding: the same banners were on the Municipio so I looked up what it was about. There’s a big endurance race on! I’d wondered if there was some sort of event on yesterday. We were descending above Cefalù when we encountered a man running up the road wearing a race number on his shorts and carrying hiking poles. From the event website:

The first edition of Cursa di Ciclopi® will take place from 22 to 29 April 2023, with departure and arrival in Cefalù, one of the most fascinating seaside villages in Sicily.You will cross the territory of 50 municipalities and 8 of the most beautiful villages in Italy, 4 regional parks, part of the Sentiero Italia, the Nebrodi ridge and the highest active volcano in Europe. Athletes from 17 nations are ready to run through the myths and legends of the Sicilian wonders!

I can’t imagine running all this in a week! 509 km. Just Sector 1, Cefalù to Gangi, includes 3440 m of up and 2750 m of down in 60.5 km.

The man we saw was wearing number one. From the race tracking, he is Sebastien Raichon of France, one of the top competitors (and currently aged 50).

Yes, the timing works. Racer #1 was in the lead when we were going by.

Looking at what these trail runners are doing, I feel like a sloth.

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