Photographer: Giovanni Caruso  
Summary Author: Giovanni Caruso  

Featured above is la Scala dei Turchi along the southwest of Sicily, Italy. This cliff is composed of nearly pure white marble (marl), which is particularly dazzling on sunny days. Marble is a sedimentary rock made up largely of clay and calcium carbonate and of lesser amounts of magnesium. The marble here is of pelagic origin, dating from the Pliocene.

It's called Scala dei Turchi because over the centuries the wind and rain created these natural steps. Some 2000 years ago, this area was stormed by the Saracens who moored their ships and then used the cliffs' "steps" to raid and pillage nearby seaside villages. Over time, it’s become a tourist attraction, noted for its clean, crystalline sea and for the eye-catching, white cliffs. Photos taken on September 7, 2021.

Realmonte, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.1723 -13.2822

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Punta Bianca

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