Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

Caltagirone, Italy

Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte is a set of world-famous steps in Caltagirone. It was built in 1606 in order to connect the ancient part of Caltagirone to the new city built in the upper part. The staircase, over 130 meters long, is flanked by balcony buildings and is today one of the identifying monuments of the city.

In 1844, the staircase underwent modifications, among which the elimination of rest areas stands out, which results in a lower inclination.

Since 1954, the steps of Santa Maria del Monte have been entirely decorated with polychrome ceramic tiles, following the ancient local artisan tradition.

The figurative themes of the ceramics are floral or geometric, and represent the Arab, Norman, Angevin-Aragonese, Spanish, Renaissance, Baroque, eighteenth-century, nineteenth-century and contemporary styles.

References:

Wikipedia

Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Italy

Address

Scala Santa Maria del Monte 13, Caltagirone, Italy

See all sites in Caltagirone

Details

Founded: 1606
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Late Baroque Town of Caltagirone (0,1 km)

Villa Romana del Casale (21 km)
San Giorgio Cathedral (40,3 km)
Late Baroque Town of Modica (47,2 km)
San Sebastiano Church (48,5 km)
San Giuseppe Church (40,5 km)
Duomo of San Giorgio (47,2 km)
Caltanissetta Cathedral (48,5 km)
Chiesa del Purgatorio (40 km)
Santa Maria delle Scale (40,1 km)

User Reviews

Nitura Alin (2 years ago)
Beautiful place!

Abigail Eaton Richards (2 years ago)
Nice views. Great for photos

Justin Vassallo (2 years ago)
Really long and impressive but overshadowed by the poor state of the area

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Andrea Schaffer

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Late Baroque Town of Ragusa

The eight towns in south-eastern Sicily, including Ragusa, were all rebuilt after 1693 on or beside towns existing at the time of the earthquake which took place in that year. They represent a considerable collective undertaking, successfully carried out at a high level of architectural and artistic achievement. Keeping within the late Baroque style of the day, they also depict distinctive innovations in town planning and urban building. Together with seven other cities in the Val di Noto, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1693 Ragusa was devastated by a huge earthquake, which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. Following this catastrophe the city was largely rebuilt, and many Baroque buildings from this time remain in the city. Most of the population moved to a new settlement in the former district of Patro, calling this new municipality 'Ragusa Superiore' (Upper Ragusa) and the ancient city 'Ragusa Inferiore' (Lower Ragusa). The two cities remained separated until 1926, when they were fused together to become a provincial capital in 1927.