BEACHS AROUND US:

 CEFALÙ:

Famous tourist centre in the ancient times it was called Kephaloidion that originates from the Greek word kefalè (head), referring to the rock that overlooks it. The place is on the west slopes of a spendid promontory.
Different evidences found out some caves assure the presence of people in pre-hellenic age.

In 254 B.C. the small town was under Romans' control and in 858 it was conquered by the Muslim after two long sieges.

With the Norman domination about 1063 for Cefalù began a good period; in fact it had a strong economy and enjoyed artistical splendour and in 1131 it became the bishop's residence. For different centuries it was from a political point of view a very important ecclesiastic possession since it has large properties as well as numerous privileges.

Cefalù is a typical bathing small town and an agricultural centre and as such it has some products like olives, grapes, fruit and citrus fruit. Important are also its fish products whether fresh fish or canned-fish.

The municipality has 13.997 inhabitants and its area covers 6.580 hectares for a density of population of 213 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises on a coast hilly area and is 16 metres aboce sea-level.

 CAMPO FELICE DI ROCCELLA:

The name of Campofelice indicates the fertility of the soil. The small town rose as a farm-house along the coast near the mounths of the stream Roccella. Only in 1699 it was enlarged by the noble Gaspare La Grutta who changed its original place.

The municipality has 5.582 inhabitants and its area is 1.475 hectares for a density of population of 378 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises on a coast hilly area and is placed 50 metres above sea-level.

As regards the agricultural field besides citrus fruit and tomatoes, it is industrious the production of artichokes, olives and vegetables.

Of particular interest is the Cathedral Church of the seventeenth period, centre of public relations and the main place of the town-planning; the tower-castle, Torre Roccella, of the XIV century and some remains of factories of the Arabic fort that garrisoned the agricultural inland.

 HIMERA:

Himera was the western frontier of the Greek sphere of influence, on the northern coast of Sicily. Just west of the Himera river [Fiume Grande], the site of Himera stretches along the coast and the river’s edge. The older part of the city was built on the higher plateau, while another part is lower along the narrow shoreline. The coastline is a series of promontories, and carved valleys, making travel difficult. Looking from the sea toward the interior, the Himera valley stretches far to the south, creating a gap of sorts which leads to the southern portion of Sicily. This was a passageway in ancient times to the interior.

Again, looking from the sea, on the left of the Himera valley is the beginning of the Madonna Mountain Range, with the slopes of Monte San Clangor reaching steeply down to the river. The mountain chain stretches to Messina in the east, and it is here the native Sicels lived well into Roman times. These mountains were always secure against Greek and Carthaginian alike. Not because the Sicels were dangerous, but because the Greeks and Carthaginians could not live in peace, and this valley represents the ‘frontier’.

To the right [west] of the river, a series of rugged hills extends all the way to the west end of Sicily. Of limestone and shale's, bare rock alternates with thin soil-covered grassy areas. While small crops can be grown, it is a difficult life here. Closer to the sea, the soil thickens, and vineyards take over, producing a good quality cooking wine.

Himera lies about 24 miles east of Palermo and 18 miles from Solunto, in the Province of Palermo. To the east is Cefalù, about the same distance away. [Just under 2 miles to the east is the modern village of Campofelice.] Looking due north one gets a spectacular view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the Italian coast just out of sight to the northeast.

 PARCO DELLE MADONIE:

The flora plays the main role in the territory of the Parco delle Madonie.

This botanical paradise, together with its peaks reaching 1.979 metres above sea-level, houses more than the half of the 2.600 Sicilian species and about 150 of the 200 endemic species.

The most important one is the Abies Nebrodensis, with 29 specimens.

The fauna is characterized by 65% of the nesting birds and by all mammals which can be found in Sicilia. The Park is also well-known for its interesting geological aspects and its landscape.

It is possible to admire wonderful landscapes from several points: among them the Etna, the Nebrodi, and the Isole Eolie, which offer an unforgettable and almost unreal view at dawn and at sunset.