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 interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

A colourful floor

Norman apses

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

Between white and black

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Some prestigious works

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The internal colours

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

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