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.

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

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

A long reconstruction

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

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

A prominent church

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

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

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci