The most beautiful places in the north west of Sicily

During my last stay in Palermo I tried to see my second home more like a traveler and less like a local. Part of this was that I went to different tourist places close to Palermo (two hours by car max).

I decided to present you four of the destinations!

 

Cefalù

Cefalù is a super touristy town. So you shouldn’t prepare for a relaxing stay. There are always many people around and especially if you want to go to the beach you gotta know that you will not have a lot of privacy.

Cefalù is still worth giving it a try. The Old Town is like a fairy tail town! The Cathedral is just beautiful and gives you an awesome view over the Piazza. 

You should definitely go and see the cloisters of the Cathedral as well! Especially on hot summer days the will give you shade and fresh air as well as some peace you will not find in the crowded city.

Most of all around Ferragosto, one of Italy’s most important holidays on the 15th of August, locals and travelers will come to Cefalù to celebrate. Although it’s crowded it’s still a must see for every Sicily-traveler.

 

Mazara del Vallo

The town Mazara del Vallo is located 55 Kilometer south of Trapani. It’s a 2 hours bus ride from Palermo.

At the Tourist Information in Palermo the said it’s not worth going to Mazara del Vallo. There is nothing to see. Luckily I am a bit stubborn so this made my desire to go there grow. And in the end I was simply blown away by the beauty of this small city. Most of all I loved the big and small details:

The stairs with the tiles…

The quotes on this stone („Peace begins in the Heart of all Human Beings“ in different languages)…

The Arco Normanno, which was so beautiful in the light of the summer sun…

The church that is ruin…

The Cathedral built in 1086 by the Normans and restructured in the 17th Century as a baroque building…

The square with the arcades that is bringing shade during the hot Sicilian summers…

Do you understand now why Mazara del Vallo simply enchanted me?

 

Marsala

Marsala was exactly the other way round: Everybody told me to go there so in the end I was a bit disappointed. Of course! There are really nice spots in Marsala, but in total I have to say that I enjoyed Mazara del Vallo much more. See the Cathedral as an example (from the inside and from the outside – like in Mazara del Vallo):

What I liked best about Marsala was the atmosphere. It’s typically mediterranean. Take your time to have a stroll around the Porta Garibaldi and the streets of the Old Town! 

The Parco Archeologico was really disappointing, too. The highlight were the mosaics, that you could see from above. I did my daily live vlog from there.

In the middle of the Old Town and the Archeological Parc there is a another place to have a stroll: a Giardino – a public garden or park.

 

Terrasini

Terrasini is easy and quickly to reach from Palermo. The center is cute, but pretty small with a square in the middle where you will find restaurants and the Cathedral.

Locals know Terrasini for the „ugly“ statues.

Tourists on the other hand side go to Terrasini because of the really nice beaches and the caves along the coast.

I admit: I had never been to the center or the beaches of Terrasini before. When I was a child my family came here quite often because of the Ristorante Il Pirata where you can have really good fish and sea food. That’s why I was smiling when I passed this restaurant on my way to the places that I wanted to see for this blog post.

So if you ever go to Palermo I suggest you do both: During daytime you enjoy the beach and discover the beautiful caves of Terrasini. In the evening you will have dinner at Il Pirata thinking of me while eating delicious clams. Deal?

 

Did you like my blog post about the most beautiful places in the north west of Sicily? Or have you been to another place that I didn’t mention? Then tell me about it in the comments!