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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

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

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

Feast days

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

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

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

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

A colourful floor

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto