Caltagirone

The Maiolica of the staircase

foto dal basso verso alto scalinata
In 1956, the staircase was enriched and embellished with a colourful maiolica covering. The idea was to celebrate the thousand-year-old tradition of Sicilian maiolica makers. For this reason, Professor Antonino Ragona, head of the project, chose to reproduce maiolica designs from the 10th-20th century.
The steps were covered from top to bottom. The maiolica tiles were inserted in chronological order, from the earliest century to present day. The first two steps commemorate Antonio Ragona and those who created the decorations (Gesualdo Aqueci, Francesco Ludice and Nicola Porcelli). The other 140 steps are divided into ten sections, one for each century starting from the 10th century. So as you climb the stairs, you are retracing the history of Caltagirone pottery from the antiquity until today.
foto Particolare targa primi due gradini foto Particolare targa primi due gradini
The maiolica tiles are a triumph of yellow, turquoise and green. One after another, geometrical decorations, human and floral figures alternate and portray the characteristic maiolica styles of Arabic, Norman, Suevian, Angevin-Aragonese, Chiaramontano, Spanish, Renaissance, Baroque, 18th century, 19th century and contemporary production.
foto Dettagli maioliche diverse

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

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

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

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

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

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

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

The city of museums

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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