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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

The two churches

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Searching for colour

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

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

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

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Prominent façade

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

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

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

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