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.

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

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

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

One city, two sites

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

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

A triumph of colour

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom