Campofelice di Roccella, Italy: travel guide to the Sicilian beach town and its seaside castle

Campofelice di Roccella is a coastal town in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, set on the Tyrrhenian shore just west of Cefalù at the edge of the Madonie mountains. With around 5,700 residents it is a popular summer resort, its long sandy beach drawing so many visitors that the population swells many times over in the holiday season.

For travellers searching for Campofelice di Roccella, beaches near Cefalù, the Roccella castle or the Madonie coast, it offers fine sands, clear sea and a striking medieval landmark.

History and the Roccella castle

Rising on a rocky spur above the beach near the river mouth stands the Tower-Castle of Roccella, the remains of an Arab-era stronghold once known as the "castle of iron," described by the geographer Al-Idrisi in 1138, around which an old port village of sugar and grain workers grew up. The modern town was founded much later, in 1699, when a Palermo nobleman was granted a licence to settle the land and built a new village with its houses, shops and a church dedicated to Saint Rosalia.

Beaches and surroundings

Today Campofelice is known for its broad sandy beaches and clear water, the heart of its summer tourism, while the ruins of the Roccella complex make an evocative open-air monument by the sea. Often called the "gateway to the Madonie," the town is well placed for the mountains of the Madonie Park, the ancient Greek site of Himera and the famous Arab-Norman cathedral town of Cefalù.

Practical information

Campofelice di Roccella lies about 50 kilometres east of Palermo and just a few kilometres west of Cefalù, with easy access from the A19 and A20 motorways and from Palermo's Falcone-Borsellino airport, making it a convenient base for the northern Sicilian coast.