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.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

One city, two sites

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

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

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

Discovering the mother church