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 the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

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

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

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

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

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