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 small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

Many owners, one palace

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

Norman apses

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara