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.

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The disastrous earthquake

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints