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.

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

Between white and black

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers