A visit to the Scala dei Turchi.... Turkish Steps

The Scala dei Turchi, or Turkish Steps, is an amazing formation of white "marl" rock along the southern coast of Sicily in Realmonte, near Agrigento.  We hadn't considered visiting this site, but Andrei at Baglio San Nicola strongly suggested we see it, and we are so happy we took his advice.


Legend has it that Saracen and Turkish pirates arrived here by boat and scaled the natural rock formations to conquer the local villages.  Today it's just a tourist attraction that brings visitors from all over the world.  Apparently mobbed in summer, it was a fairly quiet visit for us, except that we couldn't figure out the parking situation.  So we parked quite a distance from the Turkish Steps and walked along the beach to get to it....




After a long walk on the beach, we encountered a fence that had been erected to keep people out who had not parked in the proper spot and paid the admission... oops!  Options were to wade through the water or climb a small hill to get around it... we chose the hill and made the passage with no problem.



There were some rules....


We were not able to climb much of the rock, it was just too steep for us.  But it truly was an amazing site...








Here's a view from the Turkish Steps of the beach and the direction we came from to reach it...


Someone just had to put her tootsies in the Mediterranean....




An amazing site, and a great day at the beach!  Thanks for the suggestion Andrei!

Touch any photo to enlarge...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Castle on a Hill, with a Famous Resident.....

Image
While staying at the Baglio San Nicola, we took a short 20-minute drive to Naro to visit the one famous site there... the 12th century Chiaramonte castle.  The castle is at the very top of the village, and to get there you wind your way up narrow streets barely wide enough for one car.  Driving to the castle is not for the timid, but arrive there we did.  There was a great heart-shaped "Welcome to Naro" sign made out of stone visible from the parking area.  We didn't know what to expect, since there was not a lot of information available about the castle, but the big front door was open, so we walked in.....   Welcome to Naro... The castle was built in the 12th century... A very nice man met us and asked if we would like a tour, and of course we said yes.  He asked if we knew about Naro's famous resident, and of course we didn't.  Well.... we were told that Naro is the home of Piero Barone, one of the three young men who make up ...
Read more

Pienza, Montepulciano, and the Amazing Mr. Mazzetti....

Image
Our first day trip took us to the beautiful village of Pienza, just a few miles from Monticchiello.  Pienza is on the tourist map, but for good reason, it is so charming.  The old part of the village is pedestrian only, and the main street - Corso il Rossellino - is lined with exclusive stores.  These include several cheese shops, selling the famous pecorino di Pienza. View of Pienza approaching from Monticchiello.... The main Corso.... You can almost smell the cheese.... The via del Amore.... After Pienza we drove on to Montepulciano, about 10 miles away.  We wandered up the winding streets, heading toward the highest part of town.  Along the way we happened to see an open copper shop.  The proprietor, Mr. Mazzetti, invited us in, and what an experience that turned out to be!  What a lovely man.  He is quite famous for his copper work....among many other great achievements, he created the orb and cross that is on top of ...
Read more

Marsala... the Salt Flats and the Island of Mozia...

Image
The Marsala salt flats are quite a sight to see.... shallow salt water inlets with ancient windmills, and mounds of sea salt covered with terra cotta tiles.  A long time ago the windmills powered pumps that pushed the water out to sea so the salt could be harvested.  Now, the pumping is done by machine, but the area looks the same as it did a century ago.... Sea salt mound covered with terra cotta tiles... In the lagoon beyond the salt flats lies the Island of Mozia.  The island was settled in the 8th century B.C. by the Phoenicians as a trading post.  It was a fully developed city, surrounded by a stone wall.  Now, it has a museum and many archaeological sites, and is a great place for a nature walk. Boats to the island run every half hour.... Boat to the Island of Mozia... On the boat...  We walked the perimeter of the island on a beautiful, warm day, cooled by sea breezes.  Some things we saw on the island... ...
Read more