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.

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

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

A miniature city

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

New roads for Catania

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