The Scala dei Turchi (Italian: “Stair of the Turks”) is a rocky cliff , near Porto Empodocle, southern Sicily, Italy. It has become a tourist attraction due to its unusual white color, as well as by its mention in Andrea Camilleri‘s series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano.

The Scala is formed by marl , a sedimentary rock with a characteristic white color. It lies between two sandy beaches, and is accessed through a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, whence the name. The latter part of the name derives from the frequent raids carried on by Turks