The grand Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

The Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte is a 142-step monumental staircase from 1608 in the old part of the town of Caltagirone, located on the island of Sicily, about 70 km southwest of Catania. The breathtaking staircase that connects the high part of the city to the low part is the centre of many cultural events in Caltagirone. The peculiarity of the staircase is that each step is decorated with different hand-decorated ceramic tiles, using styles and figures derived from the millennial tradition of pottery making. Twice a year, this staircase is used as a backdrop on which images of patron saints and other local themes are illustrated using thousands of flowers or candles.
Caltagirone is famous for its craft production of pottery, a job that still employs many craftsmen. This ancient art, which began in the Arab period, has developed over the centuries, but has maintained practically the same decorations and colours so typical of Caltagirone pottery. Virtually all buildings in the old town are decorated with ceramic tiles—the palaces, the churches, the monuments, the gardens and the squares.
Between the month of May and June, the town celebrates La Scala Infiorata—the flower festival of Caltagirone. During this period, the Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte is decorated with hundreds of potted plants, artfully arranged to create beautiful geometric patterns that climb up the staircase. Then later in July, the Luminaria festival is held in honour of the town's patron saint, San Giacomo, and the steps undergo yet another transformation. The staircase is illuminated with thousands of candles of different colours arranged in order to reconstruct an artistic drawing of several tens of metres.