Day 18 – Sicily: Mount Rocca & Skipper Stefania

We had an early start this morning since our plan was to hike Mount Rocca. We walked to Emme Cafe, the only cafe I could find that was open before 8am and that served coffee and breakfast pastries. One aspect of Spain that definitely won over Sicily was that there were more breakfast options. Here most of the caffes just have different versions of bread (brioche, croissiant, Italian bread pastries, etc) I need some protein! We ordered 2 coffees and 2 croissiants, I hope that’s enough sustenance to get me through this hike.  

It was 5 euro to enter the park and there was a breakfast spot that opens at 8am with a full menu and fresh fruit smoothies. Had we known we would’ve just come here for breakfast!

The hike was cool and very steep in the beginning but well marked (nothing compared to the hike we did in Ibiza) and at the top was ruins of an old castle, the temple of Diana, and probably the oldest oven on the island! 

On the way back down some of the rocks were slippery and I had to hold on to the railing. I checked and the treads on the bottom of my sneakers were completely worn out. I knew these sneakers were at the end of their life after running in them for the past 9 months, but figured I would wear them on the honeymoon then buy a new pair when we got home. I guess the Ibiza hike really wore the treads down to the end. Regardless we both made it down in one piece. 

At the end of our hike we stopped for fresh juices and shared a caprese sandwich. On the walk back to our airbnb we noticed Sfrigola, the famous Arancini spot was about to open. We were second in line and watched them make the arancini and drop it in fresh. It was piping hot so we walked back to the airbnb and enjoyed it on our balcony. A delicious post hike snack! 

After relaxing on the balcony for a bit we changed into swimwear – it was time for the boat ride! We rented the boat for 2 hours with the option to extend an hour if we chose while out on the water.  It was only 25€ plus gas to refill the tank which ended up only being an extra 16€. I’ve driven my dad’s boat before in the barnegat bay, but he’s always been on board in case he needed to take over. Today I was flying completely solo. (Also in case you skipped the previous blog, in Italy you don’t need a boating license to rent small boats which is why we were able to do this). The worker at the marina quickly showed us how to operate the boat – put it in neutral, reverse, and how to use the anchor if needed. He also told us we needed to stay 300 meters away from the rocky shoreline. They handed me a paper slip that basically served as my Italian boating license for the day and we were ready to go! Just call me Skipper Stefania!

I started the engine and slowly started to back out of the slip. I started to turn but the worker told to keep backing up which I did and successfully backed out without hitting anything. Woo! The first challenge was complete. The rest was easy, we slowly followed the channel out of the marina and once we were beyond the first pile of rocks we were out in the open Tyrhenian Sea. I started pushing the gas until I felt comfortable and then eventually went full throttle. The fact that this excursion was spontaneous and unplanned, and that I was driving us out on a boat in the middle of the sea, by ourselves, IN SICILY felt completely liberating. Skipper Stefania was having the time of her life. We cruised for about 40 minutes and then stopped to dive into the water. It was a hazy afternoon in Cefalu and the sea was a deep Cerulean blue. Even though the sun wasn’t fully out, it was still a hot afternoon, and the water temperature was perfect. It was refreshing and not too chilly where you could stay in, and float around for a bit. After a quick swim we laid out on the front of the boat and popped open a bottle of Pistaciocello that we had brought with us. 

We cruised to the end of the cove and then turned around. 2 hours was perfect for a late afternoon boat ride. Stelios drove the boat for part of the way back so I got to relax in the front and we switched back when we got closer to the marina. With guidance from the worker at the marina I successfully docked the boat. What a perfect day. 

After the boat ride we showered and changed for our last night out in Cefalu. We walked along the water and stopped at a cocktail bar called Mate Lounge that was playing house music. After one drink we walked to Cortile e Pepe for dinner and ordered a bottle of Sicilian Nero d’Avila e Frappato which Stelios comically pointed out in Greek translates to “Water of Satan having a frappe”. Good thing we’re drinking this in Italy and not Greece! Also the wine glass they gave us was massive, it was almost as big as Stelios’s head.

I appreciated that tonight’s dinner wasn’t rushed compared to our other meals however the flavor of the food was very underwhelming especially for the price. I’m honestly shocked it’s on the Michelin Guide. It was also funny that they were playing classical versions of American songs like Losing Grip by Avril Lavigne. 

On our walk back from dinner we heard music playing and followed it, leading us to Neo Mediterranean Cocktail bar. It was tucked away on a cute side street in Cefalu  and they had a singer and guitarist, with a DJ playing background music. We walked up the street to check out the vibe and started dancing along with a few other couples and some local Italians. It is so odd to me that most of the tourists just stop and watch to video and are on their phones the entire time rather than joining in or just being in the moment. (I have zero photos/video from this part of the night because we were too busy having fun dancing!) Sometimes I wish I could have traveled and experienced certain destinations before smartphones existed, I wonder how different it would be. 

The band ended up playing 2 salsa songs later in the night and Stelios and I had our spotlight moment dancing in the middle of the crowd. Several people came up to us afterwards complimenting us on our dance moves and also asking if we were local Italians which I thought was funny. Who would’ve thought we’d be dancing salsa in Italy. By 12:30am the band started to pack up which brought our evening to an end. A spontaneous surprise ending to our final night in Cefalu. 

Below are my final thoughts on Cefalu: 

• It is a cute beachside town in Sicily & can easily be seen in 2-3 days. We stayed here for 3 days and 2 nights and it was the perfect amount of time in my opinion 
• I’d recommend finding an Airbnb with an ocean view. We picked one that had a beachfront balcony and was in a great location 
• Cefalu is very touristy and I was surprised how crowded it was especially from 12-4pm because that’s when a lot of tour buses stop here for day trips. If it was crowded in October I cannot imagine coming here in the summertime. 
• stick to the trattorias and Italian spots further back away from the beach for better food, skip the fancy dinners. Sfrigola for arancini is a must and Triscele was our absolute favorite dinner.