Cefalu has not played a dramatic role in the history of Sicily. It didn't get much of a mention in Greek reports. There was a small Greek town... friendly relations with the local indigenous tribes. The Greeks called the town Cefalu which means 'head' (but it's all Greek to me). There is a dramatic boulder... 350 metres high... that appears to be in the shape of a human head. The Romans did not have big plans for Cefalu... it remained a sleepy seaside town. The Romans built a modest fort on the lower regions of the head... and included some garrison buildings.
After the Romans pulled out of Sicily, the locals were harassed by a riff-raff of pirates and small regional armies. Cefalu had to take its defence more seriously. They built a second wall further up the boulder... and a sizeable castle complex at the top. Literature of the time claimed that the defences of Cefalu were as good as any town... but it excelled in its organising of food supplies to support town citizens in the event of a siege.
Joye, Elizabeth and I... under the direction of our team leader... Jasper... set out this morning to tackle the 'head'. As usual, it was uncomfortably hot... luckily, the walking was not too demanding... but it took an hour of solid climbing to reach the top. The view was reward enough for the effort of the climb. Looking at the walls and buildings at the top... Jasper and I agreed that the slaves who hauled the stone up the slope would not need to pay gym fees. They would have had a tough life.
The experience of the climb reinforced the importance of 'defense' in the history of Sicily. Strong external rule often led to greater prosperity compared to independence... but it meant spending half your time fighting your neighbours.
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