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 senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Discovering the mother church

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

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

A long reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

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

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

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

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)