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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

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

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

New roads for Catania

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

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

Wonderful quick decorations

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The two churches

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

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

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara