Moorish arches springing from stepped corbels above the vaulted tank and ancient wash basins of the Lavatoio Medievale (medieval wash house) in Cefalu, Sicily, Italy, recall a pre-Norman period when the city was under Arab control. For centuries, Cefalu’s washerwomen laundered clothes here in mountain spring water from the River Cefalino and scrubbed garments clean of stubborn dirt and stains on stone slopes. Sicilian poet Vincenzo Auria described Cefalino’s water as “purer than silver, colder than snow”.
Cefalu, Sicily, Italy: Moorish arches springing from stepped corbels above the vaulted tank and ancient wash basins of the Lavatoio Medievale (medieval wash house) recall a 205-year pre-Norman period, from 858 to 1053 AD, when Cefalu was under Arab control as part of the Emirate of Sicily. The Lavatoio, reached by a curved flight of steps descending from Via Vittorio Emanuele, replaced an earlier wash house demolished in 1514. The present structure mainly dates from the 16th century. Cefalu washerwomen continued to clean clothes here well into the 20th century and the wash house was thoroughly restored in 1991 after finally falling into disuse. The steps and the wash basins are built of a mixture of basalt volcanic lava rock and lumachella or fire marble, dotted with tiny fossil shells. Mountain spring water pours into the vaulted tank through lion head spouts and flows out to the sea through pipes. Each of the basins is equipped with a stone slope for the washerwomen to scrub garments clean of stubborn dirt and stains. According to Sicilian legend, the water originated from the ceaseless tears of a remorseful nymph mourning the accidental death of her unfaithful lover. In fact, the water comes from the River Cefalino, which rises near the village of Gratteri in the Madonie mountains southwest of Cefalu. It was routed under the city streets in the 17th century. The cleanliness of the water was emphasised by Palermo-born historian, lawyer, royal archivist and poet Vincenzo Auria (1625-1710), whose words feature in a Latin inscription on a plaque dated 1655 at the top of the steps. It translates: “Here flows Cefalino, healthier than any other river, purer than silver, colder than snow.”
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Cefalu, Sicily, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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