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.

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

A long reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

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

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

Between white and black

One city, three sites

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city