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.

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

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

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

The internal colours

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Between white and black