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.

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A new site for a new church

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto