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.

A hall for the feasts

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

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

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

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

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

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

A miniature city

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto