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.

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

A talking palace

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

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

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public