Discovering Sicily - Caltagirone

Caltagirone is a town located in the hinterland of the province of Catania, famous for the production of ceramics and majolica, activities developed in the centuries since the ancient Greeks. Like much of Sicily, Caltagirone suffered the passage of different populations, becoming a privileged stronghold for Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Genoese, who controlled the position of the two flat, that of Catania and Gela.

The city, therefore, is known for tourism not only for ceramics but also for the important historical and architectural heritage, so as to be included among the World Heritage Sites of the Val di Noto, thanks to eighteenth-century palaces and villas, the '400 Abbey of Terrana, numerous archaeological excavations, including the prehistoric excavation of Sant'Ippolito and those of the Bronze Age of Monte San Mauro.

Several museums, among which the Museum of Ceramics in Caltagirone, Technology Museum Hoffman, Civic museum at the Bourbon Prison, Historical Sicily and Caltagirone Villas Museum, International Museum of the Nativity, Exhibition of Sicilian puppets.
Very interesting and fascinating, a pride for the city, is the famous steps of Santa Maria del Monte: it was opened in 1666 with the purpose of connecting the City Hall Square (the center of political power) with the ancient Church "Mother" ( important religious center). Restored between the '50s and '60s of the twentieth century, consists of 142 steps and is 8 meters wide: is covered in polychrome majolica reproducing typically Sicilian issues. On either side, there are numerous shops of potters, where you can admire and purchase the products they make. Four centuries old, the staircase is an example of art to be admired in all its glory.