This has been our week of relaxation. We are at the beach town of Cefalu, on the north coast of Sicily. I think it may be the most charming place I’ve ever been. Much of the old fishing village has been turned into restaurants and shops, with cobblestoned alleyways that are perfect for exploring.

We have a little one-bedroom apartment right on the water. In the picture above, it is the building sticking out – we are on the 2nd floor with green shutters. We have balconies on three sides and amazing views. Wow.

Our highlights for the week so far –

The Beach

We are here just before the high season so not very crowded – a great time! There are private beach clubs all along the beach where you can pay 10 Euro and have an umbrella, two chairs, and access to a bathroom and snack bar. We can leave our stuff there, and they will watch, while we stroll up to the lungomare (street along the sea) for lunch. There is also a man who walks around selling coconut for 1 Euro a slice (it hits the spot on a hot afternoon!).  This is our favorite place.

Apperitivo

Our other favorite spot is the Piazza del Duomo – the big square in front of the Duomo, where the whole town seems to gather each evening. We go there and sit outside with a Aperol Spritz watching children play and grown-ups taking their passeggiata. A very nice tradition.

Pesce (Fish)

At some point we get hungry and wander around looking at all the ristorantes. This is traditionally a French resort, so many of the restaurants have a French flair – last night we dined at Le Chat Noir (the black cat in French – in Italian it would be Gatto Nero). Every place has ridiculously fresh fish and my new favorite – pesce spada involtino – fresh swordfish rolled up (involtino) in breadcrumbs with eggplant and baked. Yum.

& Real Life

And of course, we have real life chores, too. I have set up my office on a table overlooking the water and had a slew of conference calls this week. And we have managed to do (for once) all of our laundry.

So we are having a most wonderful week just catching up and really, doing not much at all.

View from our Balcony  – We love Cefalu!