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Italian
language and culture courses in Sicily, Italy
A small quality Italian language School
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Cefalu,
a
delightful seaside town famous for its long beach of golden sand, the
deep blue of the sea and its typical Mediterranean atmosphere with a
hint of Arabian mystery,
is the most exciting and charming resort in Sicily.
 Many tourists
come every year to Cefalu attracted by the warm bright
colours and
the magnificent setting: beautiful small coves, creeks and beaches, sheer rocky cliffs
which descend to the sea, olive
groves, lemon and orange plantations
which diffuse the intense fragrance of their
blossoms, the mountainous
woodlands. Nature's wonders are
counterbalanced by man's creations : the impressive Arabo-Norman
cathedral, the dazzling
gilded mosaics of the Christ
Pantokrator, the
Ruler of All, the medieval
wash-house, the enigmatic smile of Antonello
da Messina's Unknown Man.
It
is this perfect and
harmonious synthesis between nature and art which makes Cefalu a
truly unique spot.
Strolling along the alleys of the medieval town centre, or sitting in
an open air café slowly savouring a delicious ice cream, you can
watch Sicilians going about their
everyday life: women hanging out
their clothes in the alleys, people holding lively discussions,
gesticulating expressively, costermongers loudly touting their wares.
You can become inebriated by the strong fragrance of the flowers and
plants which give splashes of colour to the streets: bougainvillea, the
seductive scent of jasmine and geraniums and the strong aroma of basil
and mint.
In the fish restaurants along the promenade or in the small trattorie
hidden away in the alleys and courtyards of Cefalu you will discover Sicilian
cuisine, which mirrors the history of the island of Sicily and
the
creative joie
de vivre of its people.
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Deep
in Sicily's
mountainous interior is the lush Madonie
National Park, which offers
endless opportunities for walking and excursions and where you can
enjoy breathtaking views from the summit of Mount Etna to the Aeolian
Islands. Here you will discover small villages nestling on the
mountain
slopes or crowning the summits, dominating the landscape, where you
will meet people who still live as in times gone by: shepherds
pasturing their flocks, farmers at work in the fields or on muleback on
their way home, old women sitting at the door of their houses.
Cefalu offers this and much
more to the visitor, but it is for you to find it out!
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Rocca 
A Greek
myth tells
of the love and despair of the handsome shepherd Daphnis, Sicily's
Orpheus. He was blinded by the goddess Hera whose daughter he had
betrayed, and was transformed into the huge crag that dominates
Cefalu and that gave the place its name. The ancient Greek
inhabitants saw it as a gigantic head, and "head" is in fact the
meaning of the town's name.
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Temple of Diana 
The temple of
Diana,
a megalithic building dating back to the IX century B.C., is the
only pre-classical monument in Sicily. It was associated with the
worship of Diana, goddess of the moon and the water.
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The Norman Cathedral 
The
Norman Cathedral
of Cefalù is one of the most impressive monument of the Norman
age in Italy. The interior is decorated with some of the most
impressive
Byzantine mosaics in Sicily representing the sublime figure of the
Christ Pantokrator, the Ruler of All, His Mother and 53 other figures
of saints. The perfect fusion of Arabic and Byzantine and Norman
elements gives to the church its unique charm and magic.
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The medieval wash-house
At
the
mouth of the
little river Cefalino is located the evocative Medieval wash-house
whose basins carved in the rocks were used by the women for washing
their clothes until recent times.
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The Osterio Magno 
The
Osterio Magno
was King Roger II's palace at Cefalu. The three-mullioned window
dating back to the 12th c. shows the perfect fusion between Gothic and
Arabic architecture.
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The Corso Ruggero
The
Corso,
the old
town main street, marked the border of the town
during the Middle Ages. Today the street is lined with baroque churches
and noble palaces. The most elegant shops of the town can be found here
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The old port and
the Porta Pescara 
At
the old port
there are the best views of the old town. Here is also located the
Porta Pescara, one of the four gates of the medieval town.
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Antonello Da Messina
At
the
Mandralisca Museum is to be found one of the most beautiful and
mysterious portraits by Antonello Da Messina, the Portrait of the
Unknown Man (about 1470), whose enigmatic smile seems to have inspired
Leonardo Da Vinci when painting his Monna Lisa.
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