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 character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

A city in colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

A triumph of colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

Searching for colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

The internal colours

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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