Overview

Here flows Cefalino, more salubrious than any other river, purer than silver, colder than snow. An inscription at the entrance to the wash-house gives, from the very start, the idea of a curious place, that hides a special story. According to legend, the river Cefalino is born from the pain of a nymph who, after killing her unfaithful lover, regretted her actions, drowning the old wash-house of Cefalù in tears. The river from the legend used to originally flow under the open sky, alongside the wash-house but was covered in the 17th century. A simple modification, that allowed the river to flow straight into the sea through a set of pipes and out of a small opening. This wasn’t the only change because, even before this, in 1514, the medieval wash-house was demolished and then rebuilt further out of the city walls. The restoration works were completed in 1991, enhancing the place that represents an example of medieval Sicilian life for all the tourists who come to Cefalù every year.