Palermo to Cefalù: One of My Favorite Days in Sicily

Cefalù was one of those places that I didn't know much about before I arrived, but somehow left a lasting impression on me.

When our cruise ship docked in Palermo, Sicily, we met our guide at the port and headed along the coast toward the fishing village of Cefalù. The drive took about an hour, but it turned out to be one of those journeys where the scenery was every bit as memorable as the destination.

As we left Palermo behind, the landscape began to change. The busy city gave way to a much more relaxed and beautiful stretch of Sicily, with the deep blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea beside us and hills and mountains rising in the distance.

I remember looking out the window and thinking, This is Italy.

There was something about that drive that felt almost exactly like the Italy I had pictured in my mind before I ever visited. The winding roads, the brilliant blue sea, the rugged coastline, the weathered stone buildings and old structures tucked into the landscape—it all seemed so effortlessly beautiful.

 

The farther we traveled toward Cefalù, the more beautiful the scenery became. The coastline seemed to constantly change—rocky stretches giving way to little beaches and coves, with the sea stretching endlessly beside us. In the distance, the mountains seemed to rise right out of the landscape.

I found myself watching everything through the window, afraid I was going to miss something.

Our guide was entertaining and knowledgeable, but honestly, I was having a hard time concentrating on what he was saying. I was too busy looking out the window and taking it all in.

Of all the places we visited during that trip, Cefalù became one of my favorites.

And somewhere along that beautiful coastal road, I had my "Under the Tuscan Sun" moment.

It wasn't Tuscany at all. It was Sicily.

But that didn't seem to matter.

I loved this place so much that I actually dedicated an entire post to it. I called it My "UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN" Moment in Sicily.

It was the moment when I had the urge to follow Diane Lane's character in Under the Tuscan Sun—to get off the tour bus, forget the itinerary, and follow my dream of owning a little villa in Italy.

Maybe it was the beautiful coastline. Maybe it was the old stone buildings and the way they seemed to belong there. Or maybe it was simply the feeling I had as we drove through the Sicilian countryside.

Whatever it was, for a few minutes, I could completely understand how someone could fall in love with Italy and decide they never wanted to leave.

As we continued along the coast toward Cefalù, I found myself wishing I could somehow slow the bus down. Every turn seemed to reveal another beautiful view. The brilliant blue Mediterranean stretched out beside us, while rugged hills and mountains rose on the other side of the road.

There were little stretches of beach tucked between rocky sections of coastline, old stone buildings scattered along the hillsides, and homes that looked as though they had been there for generations. Nothing seemed overly polished or perfect—and that was part of what made it so beautiful.

I kept looking out the window thinking that this was the Sicily I had imagined. It felt old, rustic and completely different from anything I was used to seeing back home.

Of course, I was trying to take photographs from a moving tour bus, which meant I didn't always get the shot I wanted. But I kept trying anyway. Some of these photos may not be technically perfect, but they bring back exactly what I remember about that drive.

It wasn't just the destination that made this day special. It was the road that took us there.

And then, as if this day couldn't get any more perfect, we saw something I never expected to see in Sicily—a waterspout forming over the water.

Our guide called it a "tornado over the water," and for me, it was almost surreal. Two of my lifelong dreams had somehow come together in one trip: visiting Italy and photographing a tornado.

Of course, I couldn't let that moment pass without taking a picture.

I loved this moment so much that I wrote an entire post about it, including the story behind my lifelong fascination with tornadoes and how incredible it was to finally photograph one in Italy.

You can read that story here: [Tornado Over the Water]