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.

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

Norman apses

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A miniature city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

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

One city, two sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

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

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

The church of Carmine