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South Coast of Sicily-- Scala dei Turchi, Monte san Calogero, marsala tasting

We will be driving from Agrigento to Trapani. We will have one possibly two major stops (Selinunte and Segesta). We are interested in any scenic stops to admire a view/take a picture along the coast to Selinunte. Two I'm looking are Scala dei Turchi (Stair of the Turks) and Monte San Calogero in Sciacca. Has anyone been to either of these two places and have any comments/suggestions in terms of parking/view worthiness, etc.? Or any suggestions of any other overlook/panoramic view?

Also, I am looking for suggestions for a "low key" marsala tasting in Mazara or Marsala. We are returning the car when we get to Trapani and will not have a car for Mazara or Marsala.

Posted by
312 posts

We went to the Scala dei Turchi in 2019. It was well worth it. We had a private driver driving us from Agrigento to Trapani as my husband would not drive in Sicily. We parked up top maybe the street if I remember correctly. We then walked down about 100 stairs. ( Wooden maybe don't remember ) to the beach. We then walked along the beach to the stairs and walked all around them. They are beautiful and not like anything I have ever seen before. However, make sure they are currently open to the public as I believe a year or two ago, they were vandalized with red paint. I think the government closed them. Maybe not. If they are open, and you can go, go.

Posted by
355 posts

We had a fairly low-key tasting at Caruso & Minini in Marsala with a brief tour of the facility along with some accompanying bites when on a wine and food tour of Sicily in 2017. Might be what you are looking for.

Posted by
5581 posts

@Joyce, thank you! Would we have to go down the stairs to get the view of the Scala dei Turchi?

@Mother Duck, thanks! It looks like Caruso is a smaller place and I think within walking distance of the train station.

Posted by
6508 posts

We had a rental car so not sure how much this will help. In Agrigento we stayed at B&B Villa San Marcos and walked through the olive grove behind it to get to the temples. From Agrigento we drove over to Scala de Turchi, but since we just wanted to view it, we stopped just down the road at Belvedere - Scala dei Turchi - F.A.I.. There is a small parking lot and an overlook affording a great view of the terraced rocks without having to walk down to them. From there we drove over to nearby Lido Rossello and parked by the beach near the cliff. The rocks there are the same type formation as Scala de Turchi so we got a close up view. We then drove to Selinunte to see a couple of the temples closest to the entrance. They were similar enough to those at Agrigento that we didn’t go to the furthest temples as they are fairly spread out.

While we would have liked to stop in Mazara Del Valle to see a couple of the churches and Norman sites, we didn’t have time. We spent that night at Hotel Carmine in Marsala. We enjoyed it and it had a good buffet breakfast. It’s in a good location for walking to anyplace in the historic center. From Marsala we drove the few miles to the very remote salt farm. Thank goodness for gps and a nice gentleman working at a service station. There roads were very, very poorly marked. Actually, I don’t remember any markings. We also stopped at the Trapani salt farms before heading up to Erice where we spent 3 nights. The Marsala salt farm was the better of the two. To get to Trapani we took the cable car, then walked the fairly decent walk to the historic center. Photos from that trip are on my website.

Posted by
312 posts

Jules,
From where we were parked we could only see a small area. The stairs are not difficult. We are in our sixties and had no problem. There is a restaurant we passed on the way down the stairs. On the way back up we stopped got a lemon slush and used their bathrooms. If you want to see the wow factor then go down the stairs to the beach. You can walk on the Scala Dei Turchi stairs. Its's really amazing. If I knew how to post pictures I would message them to you.