Famous white cliffs in Italy streaked red by ‘cowardly’ vandals

The Scala dei Turchi has been defaced with iron oxide powder

Sicily's iconic Stair of the Turks defaced (EPA)

Authorities in Sicily have started an investigation after the famous Scale dei Turchi, a popular tourist spot in Italy, was allegedly defaced with red powder.

The Scala dei Turchi, or Turkish Steps, is a staircase-shaped cliff jutting into the Mediterranean from the coast of Realmonte in southern Sicily.

In a statement Sicily’s president Nello Musumeci said, “The splendid white marl cliff of the Scala dei Turchi, an attraction of the Agrigento area for visitors from all over the world, has been shamefully defaced,” reported The Guardian.

“We condemn the perpetrators of this cowardly gesture. It constitutes an outrage not only to an asset of rare beauty, but also to the image of our island.”

The incident is being investigated by the island’s chief prosecutor.

Authorities said an initial investigation revealed the culprits had defaced the cliff with red iron oxide powder, thought to be easily removable.

They said marks in the lower part of the cliff had already been partially removed by the sea water.

The damage was discovered on Friday, and by Saturday cleaning work on had been started by volunteers in Realmonte.

Police say they are examining CCTV footage to determine buyers of the material in the days leading up to the incident.

The structure was submitted as a candidate for UNESCO’s world heritage site status in 2019 and also feature in the popular Inspector Montalbano stories by Andrea Camilleri.

Recently the structure has been at the centre of a legal dispute between the Realmonte municipality and a local landowner, reported Wanted in Rome.

After complaints about its poor management, prosecutors took charge of the structure in 2020.

The cliffs have suffered damage in recent years due to natural erosion as well as rock theft by tourists.