The Scala dei Turchi has been vandalized: the culprits are investigated

Witnessing the defacing and vandalization of a work of art is terrible, but when it happens to a natural glimpse of rare beauty like the Scala dei Turchi it hurts even more. On the morning of January 8, the famous white marl of Realmonte, in the province of Agrigento, was found smeared with a dust from red plaster which must have probably been sprinkled on the Scala during the night. The carabinieri arrived on the spot, while the prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio opened an investigation to understand who was to ruin the cliff overlooking the sea which, especially in recent years, it has become a destination for thousands of tourists and naturalists.

The alleged crime against unknown persons is damage to assets with landscape value, while the Prosecutor has already ordered examinations on the material and investigations on the resale of the powder, which fortunately is removable, the area and the province. The carabinieri of Agrigento, coordinated by Major Marco La Rovere, acquired images from the video surveillance system that would have already been viewed by the Arma with the hope of catching the culprit as soon as possible.

“The splendid white marl cliff of the Scala dei Turchi was shamefully defaced. We condemn the authors of this cowardly gesture, which constitutes an outrage not only to a landscape asset of rare beauty, but also to the image of our island. I hope that the judiciary can quickly identify those responsible, ”said the president of the Sicily Region Nello Musumeci, who underlined how “the regional government, through the Office against hydrogeological instability and civil protection, has been engaged for some years, together with other institutions, in the protection and safeguarding of the integrity of this wonderful corner of Sicily”.