Caltagirone “Citta’ d’Arte” Revisited

Caltagirone is one of those towns one revisits with pleasure as it always has a new angle of its beauty to offer, and in my case I love returning so I can visit my childhood friend, Maria. Caltagirone stands at 600 meters above sea level, inland, 76 kilometers southwest of Catania. In Springtime, during the drive from the eastern coast ,one enjoys rolling hills and plush vegetation. It is a quaint town famous around the world for its ceramics.  The baroque architecture of the town is enriched by the variety of ceramic adorning buildings, squares, streets, steps, walls and more.  On a recent visit I stayed with  Maria and her husband Toto’ and was joined by friends, Adriana and Letizia, and together we enjoyed relaxing strolls around town. Following are pictures taken during this visit.

Caltagirone rooftops as seen from Letizia’s balcony.

Rooftops at night

There are 142 steps, the steps at S. Maria del Monte, built in the 17th century to connect the old and new parts of town, are decorated with ceramic tiles which display patterns taken from the Sicilian ceramic tradition dating from the tenth to the twentieth centuries.

The steps are adorned during the year with flower pots to create original and continuosly changing patterns.

Maria and a local ceramic artisan in his shop.  The plate they are holding is of the type that was used to dry homemade tomato paste in the sun. 

You can see a round piece standing upright – it is a tabletop made of lava rock covered in ceramic.  These are used in gardens.

A small park with benches made of ceramic.

The following pictures were shared by Maria and Toto’, Toto’ being the photographer.  They were taken during the Feast of Saint James, Patron Saint of Caltagirone.  The St. James festivities are held each year on July 24th and 25th.  At that time, the steps are adorned with oil lamps to form the pattern of a religious image.

Caltagirone by night