Stair of the Turks

This incredible cliff, known in Italian as the “Scala dei Turchi”, is located on the south coast of the island, near Realmonte, and it represents one of the most popular Italian destinations for tourists and photographers from all over the world. It offers a marvelous landscape made of the contrast between the dazzling white of the rock and the clear blue of the sea.

Over the millennia, the Scala dei Turchi has been shaped by the accumulation of mineral sediments transported from the sea to the coasts: here, the water and the wind then sculpted the sedimentary rock of which it is composed, giving rise to these surprising natural stairs.

La Scala dei Turchi takes its name from the Saracen pirates, improperly called Turks by the local populations. In the sixteenth century, the ships moored in the calm and clear waters of La Scala, the pirates climbed those natural “steps” reaching the top of the cliff and raided all the surrounding villages.

It is not possible to describe the view properly: you will have to immerse yourself with all five senses in the magic of this incredible cliff from the lookout point above the rock, as well as from the windows of the restaurant where you will have a truly Sicilian lunch overlooking the vastness of the Mediterranean Sea.