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Riva del Sole Blog

The Medieval Washhouse: an ancient and magical place

A street usually overcrowded with tourists in the summer, hides an ancient place that still retains a strong sense of tradition and magic. Through a spiral staircase, you can access the famous Medieval Washhouse of Cefalù, which takes us back in time, to when the women used to go there to wash the clothes all together, in fact in each station there is the support that was used to rub the clothes.

Inside, the washhouse is made up of several basins into which the waters of the Cefalino river flow; this water is very clear and cold all year round, as the sign affixed to the entrance reminds us.

An interesting legend revolves around this place: it is said that the purity of the river waters should be attributed to the tears of a grieving nymph, poured into the river after killing her lover for a betrayal.