La Rocca and Australian Friends

We wake up and head to the terrace where breakfast is served. From reviews, I was just expecting a croissant and coffee but it is much nicer.

Our Terrace Below

The croissants are there but also some ham, cheese, rolls, fruit, and a few other items. John and Cassie are there and we meet a German lady, a young Hungarian couple, and one other couple. After breakfast, we get ready to tackle La Rocca.
La Rocca is the large rock hill sitting above the town. The town moved up there in the 7th to 9th centuries for protection from the Vandals and Saracens. A trail now winds it way up to the fortifications and to a castle that was built in the 12th century. We start our climb on the streets of Cefalu to the trail head of the park. There is a small admission fee and from the collection point, we follow a trail up the hill. We go through the first gate and wall fortifications that were built here. If you approached with ill intent, arrows, rocks, and hot tar were the rewards for your effort. We accent a small plateau and come to an area where the town below was moved to. The remains of old bread ovens, warehouses, and a church dedicated to St Anna are located here.

Temple of Diana

A little further along are the ruins of the Temple of Diana, a megalithic construction with a portal dating from the 9th century B.C.
From the temple we continue our climb, getting better and better views of the town and coastline below. We spot some sea shell and sea creature fossils along the way. Hard to imagine this high up being below the sea. At the top, we reach the castle and discover beautiful views from the north side of the hill. The castle has a commanding high ground and you can see how it would be very difficult to conquer.
After spending some time at the top we descend down and then follow a path along the western side of the rock. This gives us views of a different part of town including a birds eye view of the cathedral.

CNC La Rocca

We take it all in and then continue back down to our BNB. It has been a very enjoyable and pleasant hike.
While looking for a place to get a lunch snack, we run into John and Cassie. We walk along together and we find a place to get a couple of slices of pizza. They want a panino and we keep them company as they walk to a place they went to yesterday. We all head back to the BNB and talk about having dinner together tonight. We enjoy some time on the terrace and then I want to go to the beach. Carol is feeling a bit tired so she takes a nap while I go to check out the water. The beach is just a short stroll downhill from the BNB and is quite nice. It is definitely the sandiest beach we have been to in Sicily and the water is warm and clear. I swim for about an hour enjoying the refreshing sea on a fairly warm day. Then back to the room to check in on the wife who is feeling better.
We get together with John and Cassie and they are willing to join us in a place that I had read about that had 10 different kinds of bruschetta appetizers and wine for a set price. However, when we get there and go to order it, they say they are out of them. The rest of the menu does not intrigue us so we decide to go to a place that they ate at last night and said was good. We sit down for a very nice meal with our new friends. Carol and I get mussels as an antipasto which has become kind of a staple dish for us here. We also order spaghetti carbonara and a swordfish Involtini to share for dinner.

John and Cassie

We spend around two hours eating and talking with John and Cassie. They are a great fun loving couple and add themselves to our growing list of Aussies that we enjoy hanging out with. Hopefully, our paths will cross again. They are leaving here tomorrow for Mt Etna so we will see them at breakfast before they go. We still have one more day to Chill in Cefalu. Loving these relaxing days.
Expenses
La Rocca 8E
Pharmacy Stuff 21.94E
Pizza 4E
Dinner at Il Covo di Pirata 35E
Scirocco BNB 57.7E
Walked 8 Miles