Scala dei Turchi is a cliffside in Italy and the site of one of the most beautiful and interesting beaches in the Mediterranean Sea. What is it and how do you get there? What does the name mean? Is it still closed? We’ll briefly go over that today.
What is Scala dei Turchi?
The name translates to the “Stairs of the Turks.” It gets its name from two things: firstly, the soft white limestone which forms the cliff is arranged like an undulating shiny white staircase. That’s the stairs part. Secondly, Turkish pirates used this cliffside during the Early modern period as a shelter.
Scala dei Turchi, as the cliff, is located between two wide beaches which are naturally the focus of many tourists who wish to visit the place. In 2019, it also became a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Where is the Scala dei Turchi?
Scala dei Turchi is located on the stretch of sea between Realmonte and Porto Empedocle in the south of Sicily, near the SS 115 route and Agrigento. It’s not exactly the closest beach to any of the large cities, so it’s a bit of an extra effort to get here. A hired car would be best.
Getting to Scala Dei Turchi
You can get there by car via the SS 115 and SP68, the car park is right next to it. If you’re driving yourself from Agrigento, follow the signs for Porto Empedocle. When you reach Porto Empedocle, follow the road signs to Lido Rossello. Public transport doesn’t currently offer any direct drives and the closest you can get is to a spot 40 minutes away from the Stairs. As such, if you really want to see them, a car would, again, be best.
Can you visit the Scala dei Turchi?
The Scala dei Turchi is currently closed off to the public, and it’s not its first time. In 2020, the site was closed off temporarily on accounts of its poor preservation and the negative impact of tourists. Which is just a fancy way of saying that people were literally stealing rocks and what not. We’re a wonderful race. Still, the site reopened until, in January of 2022, the staircase was stained with red iron oxide powder.
After this pointless act of vandalism, which didn’t amount to much because the powder is easily removable, the site was closed off in 2022 and remains closed off ever still. There are fences all around the site to prevent you from coming in. As such, no, you cannot visit the Scala dei Turchi directly. But you can still visit it. Sort of.
While Scala dei Turchi is inaccessible, the beaches around it, specifically the Majata Beach, are perfectly open. As such, if the beach was your focus anyway, you’re still fine. You can also visit one of the viewpoints nearby, like the Belvedere or Belvedere FAI. The latter is a bit better, as you’ll get a clearer view of the coastline. And, currently, that’s still as good as we can sadly get. Thanks, powder guys.
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