Caltagirone

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

sight
Infinite colours for a single staircase

scala-infisorata-caltagironeWow!
The Staircase of St. Mary of the Mountain during the town’s most important feasts is an exciting sight.
In May the taircase becomes a colourful carpet of plants and flowers that perfume the air and together create a spectacular design dedicated to the Madonna dei Conadomini.
But it doesn’t stop here! To celebrate St. James and the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, 4000 tea lights are lit, one by one, to form a unique design on the staircase!
All the inhabitants take part and thousands of people meet at the foot of the staircase, all looking for the best viewpoint.

smell
The scent of the feasts

In addition to its colours and lights during the two most important feasts, the Staircase of St. Mary of the Mountain is also filled with various scents.
The smell of flowers accompanies the feast dedicated to the Madonna Conadomini, while burning wax is the typical aroma for the celebrations of St. James and the Assumption of the Virgin.
The flames of 140 tea lights illuminate the staircase until they go out, giving way to a slight burning smell.

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

The internal colours

The two churches

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte