Caltagirone

A museum to save a tradition

In 1965, the Museum of Ceramics was founded in order to save a centuries-old tradition. Located on one of the main streets, Via Roma, the location was refurbished before the inauguration.
It has a special entrance, a 19th-century portico that rests on a tall raised structure accessed by a series of staircases. The maiolica decorations make it extra special, embellishing and adding colour to the façade.
The museum contains pottery from the Greek age until the beginning of the 20th century, including collections of Arab, Norman, Suevian and Aragonese artefacts.

foto ceramiche in ordine di descrizione per periodo

foto ceramiche in ordine di descrizione per periodo foto ceramiche in ordine di descrizione per periodo
The pottery is exhibited in four large rooms, where there are around 2500 artefacts and work from the ancient, medieval, post-medieval and modern worlds. The collections mostly come from the Civic Museum of Caltagirone and the “ Luigi Sturzo “, State Institute of Art for Ceramics, but also from other Sicilian museums such as the Russo-Perez collection or from private collectors including Professor Antonino Ragona.

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A majestic and luminous church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A hall for the feasts

A museum to save a tradition