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.

A majestic and luminous church

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Between white and black

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

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums