Sicily - Italy - page 556

Testament over the nave, and the Christ Pantocrator, in the main apse, whose
eyes seem to follow you as you roam the church (it's an optical illusion but fun to
see). The artists were Venetians and Sicilians who were perfecting mosaic tech-
niques during the 12th and 13th century; in certain areas, the work gets a more
experimental edge to it. The complex also houses a lovely and contemplative
Benedictine cloister set with 228 twisted columns inlaid with mosaics.
CEFALÙ
The second city of the northern coast is the tiny town of Cefalù, famous for its
giant head-shaped rock, La Rocca, which is accessible by a winding staircase called
the Salita Saraceno. You may want to base yourself in Cefalù, especially if you
plan to explore the Aeolian islands, which are accessible from the harbor here, but
accommodations are often expensive. The charm of Cefalù is the way its medieval
old town is so carelessly scattered along the coast, providing frequent glimpses of
the sea. It's enough to spend your time here just wandering around the historical
city center, dipping into the main monasteries built by Frederick II and Roger II,
or gazing at the enormous and clumsy Duomo di Cefalù (Piazza del Duomo;
% 0921-922021; free admission; daily 8am-noon and 3:30-7pm), with its two
towers that seem to converge at the top (an optical illusion, of course). The
church was built by Roger II, supposedly to fulfill an impulsive promise he made
to God when his ship was caught in a storm off the coast. The interior of the
church has an 1150 mosaic of an emotional Christ holding a Bible.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Staying in Cefalù can be pricey because of growing interest in this coastal town,
but there are still a few options if you book early.

€€ Villa Gaia (Via V. Pintorno; % 0921-420992; www.villagaiahotel.it) offers
good-size double rooms for € 140 during the summer months and € 98 in the off
season. The rooms are very clean with large beds, and many have sea views. Even
though the hotel is close to the city center, most rooms are in the back, so street
noise is minimal. This is a hotel that fills up seasons ahead by returning cus-
tomers, so book as far in advance as you can.

€€€

Another good value hotel, though not as charming as the Villa Gaia, is
the reliable old Astro Hotel

9

(Via Roma, 105; % 0921-754639; www.astro
hotel.it), which is straight out of the 1960s, decor-wise. It's clean, though, the
rooms are ample, and the bathrooms are large by Italian hotel standards. A single
room starts at

110. A bonus is the different types of beds, espe-
cially if you're traveling with kids. Ask for cots, baby beds, or whatever you need,
and the staff members are likely to come through.
DINING FOR ALL TASTES
Dining well in Cefalù takes a bit of work. Restaurants catering to tourists have
raised prices and lowered quality, but there are a few holdouts from a time when
quality was all that mattered.

€

60, doubles at

€