Prosecutors seize Italian Scala dei Turchi over conservation concerns

Coastline that has been up for Unesco listing has been in poor condition for years

Italian lawyers have seized control of the famous Scala dei Turchi limestone coastline, one of the Mediterranean's main tourist attractions, citing poor handling of the cliff's preservation.

For years, the site of the Scala dei Turchi - meaning Turkish steps or stairs of the Turks - a candidate for Unesco heritage, has been in a state of degradation. It is subject to constant erosion and theft by visitors who detach pieces of marl, the white sedimentary rock that gives the steps their distinctive appearance.