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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

Feast days

Between white and black

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

A prominent church

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

Norman apses

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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 staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces