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. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

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

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

A colourful floor

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

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

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

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

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

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)