This was our last day in Palermo and the beginning of our time in Cefalu. We were basically free
in the morning to "do whatever we needed to do" as long as we spent some time in the cathedral doing a section of the interior. We had been told that the inside of the church isn't as interesting as the outside, and they were correct... it was still a nice church, but the interior was straight Renaissance and almost completely gray, so it lacked the visual interest of the outside, with its amalgamation of styles and warm colors. There was one cool part, visible in the picture to the right: the painting on the ceiling above the altar looks like it is a suspended cloud and not touching the ceiling at all... it almost looks like it has been frozen while flowing from the roof. The section took me longer than I expected to sketch, but it was good practice trying to get all the proportions right.
The nave of the Palermo cathedral.
After we were done sketching in the cathedral, we met Dave at a market near the four fountains intersection, because there was a mysterious sandwich he wanted us to try... without knowing what it was, a bunch of us ordered them from a little stand in the middle of the market. It was cheap and good, so I was happy... turns out it was cow spleen... still good though.
A dog at the market, hoping we drop some of our cow spleen.
The markets in Italy are a feast for the senses... all sorts of strange sights and smells. A gelatinous mass of freshly caught squid...
... and a table of small sharks. Tasty!
After the market, we messed around a little while and sat in the park next to the hotel and sketched a bit before we checked out. After we put our junk on the bus, it was off to Cefalu, which was about an hour and a half away, in the middle of the north coast of Sicily. Our bus ride into the city clued us in to some of the problems we would be analyzing for the city, especially for the group I was in, since we were analyzing urban expansion and the effect of the automobile.
Our hotel (Hotel Tourist, appropriately enough) was right across the street from the water, in a great location that was a kilometer or so from the city center. The walk got old after a while, going back and forth from the studio to the hotel, but it was pleasant enough since it was right next to the beach.
The view from the front door of the hotel. There was a landing over the water about 5 steps from our door... pretty damn nice.
The first of many shots of the water and rocks from the landing.
After we checked in and got our rooms, we decided to go on a walk through the city to familiarize ourselves with it. On the road that runs along the beach, there are several landings and staircases to take you down to the water.
The Rock! This geological feature is a big a part of Cefalu, the city grew up on it and around it, and it has strong ties to the city throughout its history. It is also extremely fun to climb.
Cefalu's historic center, with the cathedral and its piazza serving as its major landmark and anchor.
The road that we walked every day, or lungomare.
Cefalu, at what Stanley and Judy call "magic hour", with near-perfect lighting.
Erin and Vikki decided to take the scenic route down on the beach.
Some shots of the beautiful Cefalu sunset from various points on the beach.
Cefalu, with La Rocca towering above it.
Moon over La Rocca.
Porta Pescara, the gateway to the beach, and its awesome view.
The beach at Cefalu, down by the sea wall.
Like a group of 1st graders on the playground, when we see something that involves climbing or scrambling over something, we are there, whether it is a giant tree or rocks near the Cefalu sea wall.
The architecture kids playing on the rocks near Porta Pescara.
Ev, Amy, and Lauren, shooting for the sunset while we all played on the rocks.
Careful, Mo!
The section of Cefalu that is directly on the water.
Fun times on the sea wall.
After our fun on the rocks and sea wall, we walked up to the Cefalu cathedral and the sloping piazza in front of it. It was a beautiful night, with a nearly full moon and few clouds... not to mention pretty warm temperatures. We also had our first encounter with the cafe on the corner that would become my saving grace over the coming days... more cappuccino and suppli than you can shake a stick at.
After we were finished exploring the town, we walked back to the hotel for dinner... we had swordfish, penne all'arrabbiata (I think), and some sort of creamy stuff with shrimp in it... it was all pretty good. My first impression of Cefalu was an extremely positive one... it is one of the coolest small towns I've ever been to, and I can only imagine what it is like in the summer when the population doubles and more shops and restaurants are open. It was a great introductory afternoon to a place we would be spending a large amount of time in during the coming days.
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