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.

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

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

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

A hall for the feasts

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The wall comes to life

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

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

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

A talking palace

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The disastrous earthquake