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 façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

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

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe