Cefalù’s thousand names

It was the Phoenicians who named the area of today’s Cefalù (whose first settlements undoubtedly date back to prehistoric times) with a term perhaps “borrowed” from Aramaic: kephas, i.e. “rock”; the Rock of Cefalù did not escape even the first Greek settlers, who in the 4th century B.C. called the settlement Κεφαλοίδιον (Kefalòidon, from the Greek kefalè, i.e. “head”), also emphasizing the strategic importance of the promontory, called “head”.

When in 254 BC the Romans occupied the city (already prey of the Syracusans) they Latinized the Greek name of Cefalù in Cephaloedium and so it remained until the Arabs, who occupied the city in the 9th century AD, renamed it Gafludi. When the city returned to Christian (and Norman: in 1063) hands, its name began to resemble today’s name more and more.

The “thousand names of Cefalù” embody the cultural stratification and the thousand souls of this city, rich in charm and culture. The sea and the promontory (the “head”) are the constants of this extraordinary history, together with the living stone of its monuments, its cuisine and typical products, its natural landscapes.

Would you like to come and discover the thousand names of Cefalù? Book at Casa Giudecca, thanks to the unique view of the sea and the access to the beach thanks to the external staircase you will enjoy an unforgettable stay.