La Scala dei Turchi, Sicily
Among the many natural beauties that the province of Agrigento hosts is the Scala dei Turchi, a rocky wall that rises sheer to the sea along the coast of Realmonte. It is an irregularly shaped cliff face, shaped over the centuries by the waves and the wind. Its color is pure white and its shapes tend to be wavy. She is chosen as a scenario in several films including “Il Commissario Montalbano”, but also by the writer Andrea Camilleri for his novels and in the famous film by Giuseppe Tornatore, Malèna, played by one of the most famous Italian actresses in the world, Monica Bellucci.
In addition, it is a candidate to become a UNESCO heritage site. The site attracts thousands of tourists every year and therefore the local authorities pay close attention to compliance with the rules to avoid the disfigurement of the territory. The inclusion of the Scala dei Turchi as a heritage of humanity is the right recognition of one of the most beautiful cliffs in the world and to guarantee its protection and safeguard.
History of the famous cliff
La Scala dei Turchi owes its name to the Saracens, improperly called Turks by the local populations. In fact, by convention, this was the name of the Arab populations who landed on this singular rock formation in the 1500s to plunder the villages in the area.
The name of “ladder” derives instead from the shape of the “stepped” rock wall, which made it easy for pirates to approach them from the sea. All this was further facilitated by the fact that that area was sheltered from the wind and not very controlled
How to reach
La Scala dei Turchi is located in the municipality of Realmonte, in the province of Agrigento.
To reach the cliff, coming from Agrigento, you must follow the SS115 towards Porto Empedocle, then via Nereo along the coast towards Zona Lidi for a few kilometers where there are several authorized parking lots where you can leave your car and continue on foot through the paths indicated.
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