The Rock

Kirsty and I took a steep stroll up to the top of La Rocca. The walls around the top and the castle were built about 1100 AD, and the Temple of Diana was built much earlier, about the 5th or 6th Century BC. The castle grounds are about 1000 feet higher up than the main walls that encircle the rock.There isn't much left of the castle but a few walls and a couple of small buildings, but the views from the top are superb!!

Here is La Rocca, looming over Cefalu. The walls roughly follow the areas where there isn't vegetation  and the castle is on the very top.

The view up to the walls.

1st gate.

1st Gate arch.

Above the 1st gate.

The next few pictures are various shots of the walls.

 Very thick walls!

2nd gate (leading to ovens and grain buildings).

Church of St. Anna, close to the ovens and Temple of Diana.

 View of the new port from the castle walls.

Castle walls.

 Part of the castle.

 North walls.

 More north walls.

 View down onto old Cefalu from the north wall. The arrow is where we are staying.

 Closeup of where we are staying. Like a maze!

 These old grain storage areas are inside the walls, but below the castle.

 Closeup of the bread ovens next to the grain storage buildings.

Other side of large oven, showing two smaller ovens.

Temple of Diana.

 Entrance to the temple.

Inside the temple.

Kirsty's hand shows the size of some of the stones used to build the temple.

 Closeup of some of the mortar and rock used to build the temple.

 Don't know the purpose of the terra cotta outlines, but they are around some of the walls.

 View down to the Duomo.

Backyard of the Duomo.

Road towards the new port.

New port area.

 Cemetery from the Castle wall on the northeast side.

 View towards new Cefalu to the west.

Various types of wall construction:

 They still use these kind of brooms here!

View from the plaza up to the north walls.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures of this fantastic rock!

Peace my friends!