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 San Sebastiano

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

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

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

Prominent façade

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

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

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

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The internal colours

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

Some masterpieces