THE STAIRWAY OF CALTAGIRONE
Caltagirone, gateway to the world of the Baroque and to the Val di Noto, is the homeland of Sicilian master ceramists. A hill town famous throughout Sicily for its ceramics, produced for over a millennium thanks to the high quality of the local clay and still fundamental to the economy.
Every corner of Caltagirone bears witness to the importance of this tradition, above all the famous Stairway of Santa Maria del Monte, covered with ceramic tiles.
What to see
Stairway of Santa Maria del Monte
The most evocative site in Caltagirone is this monumental stairway, known as the Stairway of Santa Maria del Monte, which rises from Piazza Municipio to the Church of Santa Maria del Monte, the highest point of the town. Built at the beginning of the 17th century to connect the old hilltop village with the new district that had developed around Piazza Municipio, it was originally divided into various flights of steps separated by small squares.
The flights were joined around 1880 to create the 142-step staircase still visible today. The hand-painted majolica tiles covering the risers are relatively recent; they date back to 1956. It is a truly extraordinary creation, even if, once you reach the top, you may be more interested in finding a place to sit than in admiring the tiles. Fortunately, the splendid view from the summit will tempt you to get back up. The staircase, flanked by picturesque ceramic shops, is at its best during the Feast of Saint James, held on 24 and 25 July every year; on that occasion it is lit by more than 4,000 oil lamps. The spectacle is repeated on 14 and 15 August. Overlooking Piazza Municipio, which stretches at the foot of the stairway, are majestic buildings such as the Palazzo Senatorio, where the city senate once met. The palace now houses a cafè.
