Scala dei Turchi visiting rules and safety: closed areas, bans and fines

At Scala dei Turchi you may only walk on the lower part of the headland, along a fixed route in and out. The upper part and the most famous steps are closed for safety reasons: the cliff has had documented rockfalls. The rules come from order no. 07 of 8 May 2025 and from the municipality of Realmonte's page, and they also apply to anyone who remembers the cliff a few years ago, when access was free.

Where can you walk?

The map attached to the order divides the headland into three parts: a visiting area at the bottom, a compulsory route in and out, and the rest, closed "for safety reasons". The water to the west and an area to the north are also excluded. One visitor, in a review from around July 2026, describes marked-out zones and staff who enforce them.

The visit lasts 20 minutes. You can't go in outside opening hours, and when the weather closures apply, the order provides for a fence that blocks access on foot: the conditions are on our page on whether Scala dei Turchi is open today.

How should you behave on the marl?

Marl is a soft rock that hard soles and sharp objects wear away. So the municipality asks you to:

• wear shoes with soft, non-slip soles, with no sharp or raised parts;
• not rest photo or video equipment on the rock;
• take your rubbish back with you;
• not take away pieces of marl or damage the cliff, which is "strictly forbidden".

Smearing marl on your skin like a mud mask, which one 2025 review describes seeing, is also a way of removing it.

Can you dive or swim?

The 2026 bathing safety order of the Porto Empedocle Coast Guard bans diving from cliffs along its whole stretch of coast. It also bans stopping or walking within 10 metres of the top edge of sheer cliffs, and at the foot of cliffs within at least 10 metres of the base or of fallen material. Below the Scala there was already a mayoral swimming ban in 2020 in the stretches at risk of rockfalls; for the 2025 season a local source lists the stretch among the no-swimming zones, but we have not read the municipal order. Where to swim safely is in our guide to the beaches.

Drones and dogs

We found no specific drone ban in the municipal documents we read, but in summer 2025 the mayor objected to drone filming done out of hours and without authorisation. In the bathing season the Coast Guard bans flights over beaches and sea within 1,000 metres of the coast and below 300 metres "with any type of aircraft", unless authorised; whether this covers drones is a question for the Coast Guard or ENAC. Where to take photos from above without a drone is in our photo and viewpoint guide.

Neither the municipality's page nor the orders in force on the visit and the coast mention dogs, and the subject does not come up in reviews: no rule bans or allows them in the visiting area, so ask the municipality before you go. Heat, the beach, turtle nests and nearby reserves are covered in our guide to Scala dei Turchi with a dog.

What fines can you get?

The municipality's page warns that anyone breaking the rules risks fines and possible criminal liability, and that the municipality is not responsible for accidents during the visit. The amounts are not published. In 2020, during the seizure of the site, dozens of people were reported to the police for breaking the seals. The full story is on our page on UNESCO, ownership and the news.

Is it safe?

The cliff collapses. In December 2017 a rockfall closed the stretch of beach below the face; in January 2020, according to the local press, the mayor closed access for three months after a collapse on the west side. That is why the site also closes after earthquakes and when the sea is choppy or rougher. One visitor warns that there are no safety barriers and that you could fall into the sea. The smooth marl is slippery when damp or salty, and in summer it reflects the sun: bring a hat, sunglasses and water, and hold children by the hand; tips for families are in our guide to Scala dei Turchi with kids. Why the marl is so fragile is explained in our guide to the geology.