Caltagirone was one of the places in Sicily that we decided to visit a bit on the go. There we climbed up to the popular Santa Maria del Monte staircase, connected to the city’s centuries-old livelihood – pottery production. We also tried the typical cannoli sweets of the region.
The town of Caltagirone is part of the Late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition, for centuries it was a center for the production of ceramics, especially terracotta and majolica (a type of pottery similar to earthenware).
The city is situated on a hill and dominates the surrounding valleys, and the views from and to it are very beautiful.
In this article I tell you what interesting things you can see and do in Caltagirone.
Where is Caltagirone and how to get there
Caltagirone is located in the interior of the island of Sicily, 67 km southwest of Catania and 209 km southeast of Palermo. Caltagirone can be reached by car or by public transport – by train or bus from Catania.
It is also an option to join an organized tour. See here an interesting tour including visit to Caltechirone and to beautiful Roman villa next to Piazza Armerina, transport and lunch with Sicilian products and wine.
We rented a car that we picked up from Catania Airport.
Where we parked in Caltagirone
Traveling to the city, we looked in the maps on our phones where it would be appropriate to park, but instead these spaces turned out to be along the streets and were occupied. Finally, we came across a free parking lot 5 minutes’ walk from the square in front of the town hall, which we drove past. This square happens to be right at the foot of the famous stairs.
Here are the parking lot coordinates.
The monumental staircase of Santa Maria del Monte (Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte)
One of the most important sights of Caltagirone is the monumental staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, also called the Staircase of Ceramics. It was built in 1606 to connect the old part of the city, which is on top of the hill and was once fortified with walls, to the new part below.
Since 1954, the vertical part of each step has been decorated with hand-decorated ceramics, each with different decoration and ornamentation. This creates a great visual effect by standing at the foot of the stairs. The peculiar ceramic mosaic presents the history of ceramics in Caltagirone over the last ten centuries.
Climbing the stairs is quite an experience – the steps are quite wide and cannot be “taken” in one step. In addition, the staircase is over 130 meters long and made up of 142 steps (yes, we counted them). The stairs are surrounded by beautiful buildings, many of which have dedicated souvenir shops (also convenient for light breaks during the ascent). The staircase leads to a small square and the church of Santa Maria del Monte, hence the name of the stairs. There are beautiful panoramic views from above.
Other things to visit in Caltagirone
Another interesting landmark in Caltagirone is the Cathedral of San Giuliano (Basilica Cattedrale di San Giuliano) and its majestic bell tower.
It is located a little below the foot of the stairs. And right at their foot is a small pompous square surrounded by buildings. One of them is the town hall.
There is also a restaurant. We supported ourselves in it with coffee and cannoli after climbing and then going down the stairs.
If you have more time, you can visit the Museum of Pottery (Museo Regionale della Ceramica), opened in 1965. It houses an impressive collection of ceramics and terracotta wares — from antiquity to the present day, with exhibits dating back to the Magna Graecia era. It is located next to the city park about 10 minutes walk from the monumental staircase.
As we walked the streets of Caltagirone it struck me that in many places there were workshops for the production and/or decoration of ceramics. In some of them you will be shown old pottery making techniques and you can try out how pottery is made. ✨ See more about such an experience here. ✨
What to combine your visit to Caltagirone with
We combined our visit to Caltagirone with the exquisite Roman villa next to Piazza Armerina – Villa Romana del Casale. If you are more expeditious and have more time, you can also go to the town of Enna.
See also:
