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.

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

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

Many owners, one palace

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A colourful floor

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

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

A miniature city

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea