15 kilometers from Palermo and 45 from Cefalù, overlooking the sea in Santa Flavia and in the heart of the green citrus and olive grove estate of the noble country period residence, home of the holiday farm, Villa Cefalà is an elite site filled with delightful landscapes close to numerous attractions and artistic and historic villages with Sicily's most beautiful sea and beaches only 300 meters away.
Relax at a holiday farm, culture and sea nearby and less than a two-hour car ride: Villa Cefalà is one of the hotels and bed and breakfasts near Palermo with the privilege of being only 2 kilometers from the A19 Palermo-Catania highway and State Roads that lead from the village Santa Flavia to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, Trapani with its salt mines and Erice, as well as Catania and Messina.
It's only 5 minutes to Santa Flavia from the Villa Cefalà, a delightful city, capital of an area with coasts and hinterlands including the small and picturesque seaside villages of Porticello, Sant'Elia and Solanto, nestled between the sea and the cliffs on the unmistakable and scenic backdrop of Cape Zafferano.
Santa Flavia was also once the capital of Palermo's aristocratic farmlands whose towers with beams were used as summer get-aways and still dot the hills (one of these is Villa Cefalà). In the square in Santa Flavia, the beautiful Villa Filangeri (town hall) is the most impressive evidence. Commissioned by the family in the 1600's, the villa was built and decorated in Baroque style. While the decorations have almost all disappeared over the years, the style was charmingly renovated at the beginning of the 1900's by Ernesto Basile, the Palermo Art Nouveau architect (Massimo theater, Parliament, etc.). Magnificent tropical and century-old local plants grow in a unique array in the Villa's garden. Other significant villas in Santa Flavia include the sixteenth century Villa San Marco, the Villa Valdina and the Villino Basile designed by the same architect. Also worth a visit is the Soluntina di Sant'Anna basilica, magnificent example of Sicilian Baroque.
Location
How to get here
By plane
- The Palermo "Falcone and Borsellino" airport is the closest to Villa Cefalà, 53 kilometers away.
From the airport, take the Trinacria Express train or shuttle bus to Palermo and get off at the central train station.
Continue by train towards Casteldaccia (Palermo – Cefalù line) and follow the directions under "by train".
By boat
- From the Palermo wharf: by car, take highway A19 Palermo – Catania and exit after about 15 kilometers at Casteldaccia. From here, follow the directions under "By car"; on foot, go to the central train station in Palermo and follow the directions under "By train".
By train
- Palermo – Cefalù line, Casteldaccia station.
The station is 800 meters from Villa Cefalà. The holiday farm offers free shuttle service from the station upon request.
By car
- From highway A19 Palermo – Catania, exit at Casteldaccia. Take your first right and follow the directions for SS 113. At the fork, stay to your left and continue for 300 meters. You've reached Villa Cefalà.
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Porticello is the picturesque fishing village, home to one of the most important fish markets in Sicily. The well-loved "U scaru" is the heart of the village, overlooking the port where for 24 non-stop hours live: ice-cream parlors, restaurants and stands by day and the fascinating fish market by night.
Sant'Elia is where the sea creeps up to lap the houses in truly enchanting views in a series of inlets and bays with small delightful beaches under Cape Zafferano, where the ancient fish nets testify the village's fishing tradition.
Rounding Cape Zafferano, Torre Mongerbino, the the bridge sculpted in the rock, the Arco azzurro made famous by the Baci Perugina chocolate box, is a walking and trekking destination.
Once of the most exciting sites in Sicily is within close range of the holiday farm Villa Cefalà: historic Solunto, ancient Phoenician, then Greek and finally Roman city at the foot of Mount Catalfano that dominates the sea from a plateau with a magnificent display of archeological ruins dating back to the seventh century B.C.
While staying at the Villa Cefalà bed and breakfast in Santa Flavia, don't miss a trip to the villas in Bagheria, just a few kilometers from the holiday farm. The most original and astonishing of them all is Villa Palagonia, also known as Villa dei Mostri, one of the most extraordinary examples of Sicilian and international Baroque culture. In the Villa, the architecture, sculptures, decor and the park were designed as a scenic illusionist and fantasy stage: once 200 tufa stone statues (now 60) of mythological figures, caricatures, fanciful animals and ladies and knights observed visitors from the Villa walls.