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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The chocolate of Modica

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

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

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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