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.

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

One city, three sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

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

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Norman apses

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A triumph of colour

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso