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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A colourful floor

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

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

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, three sites

Feast days

One city, two sites

A talking palace

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

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

Norman apses

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A prominent church

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

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites