As part of a recent bloggers trip to Sicily, I was told we would visit one of the most magnificent beaches in Europe. “A beach?” I thought, “where’s the art and culture in that?” But I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that this is no ordinary beach. This is a beach steeped in the history of Sicily – a beach that also happens to be aesthetically pleasing and off-the-beaten track (just the way I like it!). It was an opportunity I could not let pass by.
The Scala dei Turchi, or ‘Stairway of the Turks’ is quite hidden from the road. It’s situated near Porto Empedocle in the south of the island and is wedged between two other beaches (so you have to park nearby and walk a bit). The beach has become quite famous with locals due to it being mentioned in Andrea Camilleri’s detective stories of Inspector Montalbano. And, as the name says, the ‘Stairway of the Turks’ was also once an area raided by the moores who would hide behind this rocky formation, hidden from nearby towns and out of sight from locals.
We parked the car at a neighbouring beach and walked along the shore towards the Scala dei Turchi. The first stretch of beach seems pretty ordinary, with soft sand and clear waters.
It’s evident that fishing is a popular pastime here – even in the cooler Mediterranean winter.
The walk to the Scala dei Turchi takes around 15 minutes from the parking area so be sure to wear sturdy shoes as the area gets quite rocky and some of the rocks are slippery – especially those at the Scala which have been smoothed over by water erosion.
What really strikes me about the landscape of the Scala dei Turchi is the most incredible mix of colours. Here you can see the white rocky outcrop in the distance along with the varied colours – hues of blue, green and earthy tones – almost like a beautiful landscape painting with a perfect mix of colours pleasing to the eye.
And then you see it, ever so unexpectedly – the most amazing white outcrop of marl. In fact, from far it looks like white snow at the seaside and it is situated there ever so miraculously.
When we climbed up the steep slope of the Scala dei Turchi, the water appeared to be quite rough. And it certainly wasn’t tanning weather either (granted it is March!).
What’s pretty amazing is that the formation of the marl has created natural benches and beds where you can sit or lie and tan in the summer.
You can tan right there in a natural groove of the marl (almost touching the water). Travel blogger, Marco Cittadini (Piceno On the Road), tried it for himself and instantly we all felt as though we were on an Armani fashion shoot (with exception of the nippy wind that took me quite by surprise!).
In 2007 the local municipality of Realmonte requested for the Scala dei Turchi to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. I sincerely hope that the Scala is accepted and more widely recognised as one of the most incredible beaches in the mediterranean. It sure is worth a visit and you may just find me recouping there over the summer holidays.
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Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem is the founder and main writer at The Museum Times. She works as a university lecturer by day and is an avid travel blogger and arts and culture enthusiast by night. Elizabeth started The Museum Times out of the need to give smaller, lesser-known museums more exposure.
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