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.

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Searching for colour

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

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)