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.

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

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

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

One city, three sites

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

Norman apses

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

Many owners, one palace

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

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

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

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom