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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

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

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

A long reconstruction

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

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

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The city of museums