Cefalù lies on the northern coast of Sicily, under a great rock called La Rocca that rises almost 270 metres straight behind the town. The old centre is a tight tangle of lanes between the sea and the cliff, with a sandy beach beside the harbour and fishermen's boats pulled up on the shingle. The population is about eleven thousand, and the town has all the services a rider needs, from fuel to supermarkets, with the next village, Lascari, a few kilometres east. It makes a very good start for the climb into the Madonie mountains.
Its great monument is the cathedral, begun in 1131 by the Norman king Roger II, who is said to have vowed to build it after surviving a storm at sea. The two square towers and the golden mosaics inside, especially the huge Christ Pantocrator in the apse, are among the finest Byzantine-style works in the Norman kingdom of Sicily. Together with the cathedrals of Palermo and Monreale, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing. Beyond the town, the Rocca has the remains of a medieval castle and a path that leads to the top for a superb view.
For the ride, the point is to get out of town early, because the coast road can be busy and the mountains are cooler and quieter. The road south climbs through Gratteri and the foothills into the Madonie Regional Park, with hairpins, beech woods and stone villages. The surface in Sicily can be rough, with potholes and patched asphalt, and local drivers are quick and sometimes erratic, so keep your distance. The best seasons are spring, when the hills are green and the wildflowers are out, and autumn, when the heat has gone.
Cefalù has plenty of places to eat, and the local cooking uses fish, capers, olives and wild fennel. Start the day with a granita and a brioche, or a cappuccino at a table on the square by the cathedral. Fill the tank here before you head into the hills, since the villages in the park are small and pumps are not frequent. The sea behind you gets smaller with each bend, and the mountains rise ahead.