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 interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

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

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Between white and black

A colourful floor

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

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

A feast only for Scicli