White steps
Carved by the waves.
Monika Durickova — CC BY 2.0 · Monika Durickova — CC BY 2.0 · Hervé Simon — CC BY-SA 2.0 · trolvag — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vincenzo Lana — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Scala dei Turchi, the «Stair of the Turks», is a white rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte near Porto Empedocle in southern Sicily, about 9 km west of Agrigento in a straight line. It became more famous after appearing in Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano novels. The cliff is made of marl, a brilliant white sedimentary rock formed from the shells of tiny sea creatures, laid down in the early Pliocene after the Mediterranean refilled following its near-complete drying out. Waves and rain have carved the soft rock into broad rippling steps like a staircase, which gave it its name. The smooth white cliff drops in soft steps and curves towards a clear turquoise sea, looking like a mass of sugar or snow under the Sicilian sun, with its edges turning gold and pink at sunset. Golden sandy beaches stretch on either side. Visitors reach the beach and walk along the sand to see the cliff from below, and swim in the clear water. The rock is soft and erodes easily, and climbing on it may be restricted to protect it, so follow the signs. Sunset is the best time.
Carved by the waves.
Clear.
Golden edges.
Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy
It may be restricted to protect it; follow the signs.
The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento.