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 long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

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

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

A miniature city

A city in colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

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

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

Prominent façade

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

An eagle-shaped city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

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

A new site for a new city

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A colourful floor