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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

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

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

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

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

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

Discovering the mother church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A prominent church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church