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 colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

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

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace