Sicily’s iconic Scala dei Turchi cliffs have been plastered with red dye
An investigation has been launched by the Italian police after a popular Sicilian tourist site – the white cliffs of Scala dei Turchi – has been defaced by unknown vandals who covered it with red dye.
Scala dei Turchi – or the ‘Turkish steps’ – is one of the most popular attractions in Sicily, visited by tourists from both Italy and abroad. The site also features prominently in the ‘Inspector Montalbano’ book series by the late Italian author Andrea Camilleri, and an Italian TV series of the same name.
The white limestone cliffs, formed in a shape of a staircase, hence its name, were once a hiding place for Mediterranean pirates. Yet the cliffs, put forward as a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status, were plastered with red dye during the night of Friday, January 7.
Before and after #ScaladeiTurchi pic.twitter.com/jYK0VYUDU5
— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) January 9, 2022
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The local police department launched a probe into the incident and law enforcement specialists managed to find out that the red dye was a red iron oxide powder mixed with water, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported. The police are now looking through surveillance camera images from local shops to potentially identify people who might have bought the substance in question recently.