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 senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A half-Baroque church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Staircase of Angels

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo