Caltagirone

Caltagirone

Caltagirone is the “City of Ceramics” par excellence. Its popularity derives from the art of working ceramics, which has its roots in Greek tradition, and which made Caltagirone fall under the municipalities of the Val di Noto, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Actually, the passion for ceramics craftsmanship in Caltagirone means that there is not one single corner, staircase, or detail that does not refer to ceramics or its related craftsmanship, so much so as to define it an “open-air museum”.

Here you will find the original Regional Museum of Ceramics, housed in the old prison, and known and valued for its collections and for its statues and artifacts of exquisite workmanship. A place of particular charm is the Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, which joins the lower part of the city with the higher part. In 1792, it was built with tiers and balustrades and decorated with ceramic reliefs. Of great artistic value is also the Church of the Savior (Chiesa del Salvatore), with its inner octagonal shape, three apses, and a dome of unmistakable eighteenth-century architecture.