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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A square as the heart of the city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

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

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

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

A half-Baroque church

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

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The two churches

The internal colours

Some prestigious works