Lavatoio Medievale Fiume Cefalino - Cefalù (pa)

""If castles, palaces and cathedrals tell us about the powerful, this wash house shows us a magnificent cross-section of medieval common life. Here every day echoed the cries, songs and sufferings of many women, busy in the daily ritual of washing clothes. You can almost see them, each kneeling in front of a wash house while they srub the clothes on the plate and then rinses them in the cold water of Cefalino. These, in fact, are the waters of the Cefalù river, a small stream that has always been used for drinking and hygienic purposes. The original wash house, however, no longer exists. What you can see today is the result of a restructuring that took place in 1514. The place, however, is substantially the same, with the big difference that the river no longer flows out in the open but is harnessed through a rudimentary but interesting hydraulic engineering system. . Today we see the water gushing from 22 cast iron lion's mouths inside a partially covered environment. Water was drawn her for drinking and hygienic purposes. Through another pool, then, the water reaches the various wash houses - 4 outdoors and 4 covered - to then be conveyed to a small cave and from here, through a hole, to reach the beach and then flow into the sea." - Alessioi Guiggi, local guide"

"Good landmark near the east side beach access. Also, it’s cool! "