04-Jan-2025
With just one full day to go of our Cefalu stay, we decided to make a little excursion up the coast.
We chose Santo Stefano di Camastra pretty randomly, based on the following criteria: It was just about half an hour away on the train; it had a very curious diamond-shaped layout; and it had lots of cafes...
Decision made, then...
You get good views of the Rock from Cefalu station
A rare spot of rain early this morning
The railway line runs along right by the sea, so it's a lovely trip. The weather that made the rain had obviously also caused a bit of a swell:
Grimy windows are always a hazard...
Off he goes...
The first thing you discover when you get off the train is that S. Stefano C. (as the station names it) is UP. Severely UP:
Just some of the MANY steps UP
Looking back down to the station
Of course, you get great views from your lofty perch:
Our Rock. And from this distance you can really see why people thought it looked like a head
As you head into town, you start to see the angles that make those interesting diamonds:
But what you really notice is that the place is FULL of ceramics. They're everywhere:
Santo Stefano has been a hub of ceramic production since the 15th century, and the roots of the tradition stretch much further back to the Phoenicians and Greeks.
Even the table at the Caffe Belvedere di Pasquale is look-alike ceramic (and we had two cappuccini and two substantial pastries for EUR 8, which we didn't reckon was bad):
After that it was DOWN all the steps to the station, to catch the train home:
Nice little trip. Cheap and interesting.