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 Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

Many owners, one palace

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

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

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

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The two churches

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

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

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day