The name Scala dei Turchi comes from the Saracen pirates (by extension, Turks) who used to take refuge in this Sicilian stretch of sea sheltered from winds.
These days, Scala dei Turchi is a tourist attraction due to the unique white color of the rocks that comes from the peculiar marl which the cliff consists of.
We arrived there at sunset. There were no words for me to express the magic of Scala dei Turchi while the sun was setting. Maybe the white cliff also bewitched the Saracen pirates as if it had been a magnet and it immortalized their name, Turchi (Turks).
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
Ettore Grillo's Blog 