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 character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A talking palace

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The two churches

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

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

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

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins