Santa Maria del Monte

Caltagirone is a town in central Sicily, Italy, most famous for its ceramics and long ceramic-decorated staircase. The city is one of the eight world heritage listed "Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto".

Get in

By bus

• 1 Bus station, across the train station on Viale Sicilia. Regular buses run from Piazza Armerina, Enna and Catania 

By train

• 2 Stazione di Caltagirone. Local trains run from Gela and Catania.  

Get around

The adjacent train & bus stations are in the new town about 20 minutes walk from the centre of the old town. Some buses may also stop in the old town.

There are a few connecting buses linking the old and new towns. Alternatively, you could take a taxi or walk.

See

• La Scala - the famous 142 steps staircase up to Santa Maria church, with each stair riser decorated with different ceramic tiles. Good views from the top.
• St Francis Bridge (Ponte San Francesco) - an impressive ceramic tile decorated bridge at the entrance to the old town.
• 1 Museo Regionale della Ceramica, Via Roma "Teatrino del Bonaiuto", ☏ +39 933 58418, fax: +39 933 26972, urpmuseo.ceramica@regione.sicilia.it. 09:00-18:30. More than 2500 pieces of ceramic on display; the architecture is also impressive €4, reduced €2. 

• 2 Museo della ceramica contemporanea, Palazzo Reburdone, Via Abate Meli, 3, ☏ +39 933 57963, info@palazzoceramico.it. 
• 3 MACC Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Via Luigi Sturzo, 167, ☏ +39 933 21083, fax: +39 933 41813. Th-Tu 09:00-13:30, Tu F-Su 15:30-18:30, closed W. Contemporary art with a focus on ceramics free. 
• 4 Museo Civico al Carcere Borbonico, Via Roma, 10, ☏ +39 933 31590, fax: +39 933 41813, musei-civici@comune.caltagirone.ct.it. Tu-Su 09:30-13:30, Tu F-Su 16:00-19:00. Archeological findings, city history and a painting collection free. 
• 5 Museo Etnologico Siciliano. Found in a former church, showing a collection of everyday objects 

• 6 Museo Internazionale del Presepe, Largo S. Luigi, 2, ☏ +39 933 53754, fax: +39 933 41813. M-Sa 09:30-13:30, 16:00-19:00. free. 
• 7 Museo Civico delle Ville Storiche Caltagironesi e Siciliane, Villa Patti, Via S.Maria del Gesù, ☏ +39 933 41810. Daily 09:30-13:30, F-M 16:00-19.:00. 

Buy

• Ceramics of course. From one of the many shops lining La Scala. Specifically suggested is to see the Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art realized inside the beautiful Palazzo Ceramico. Located aside the monumental "Scala SS. Maria del Monte" it's a concentration of typical Sicilian food and ceramic articles of more than 20 exhibitors. Remarkable is the permanent show of sicilian muppets of the "Antico Teatro dei Pupi Siciliani". Inside there are available all the principal services you would need (WC, Internet connection, etc.)

Eat

• marcellino seminara (40), via e. de amicis, 24 (caltagirone). 

Sleep

• 1 Vecchia Masseria (Agriturismo Caltagirone), C/da Cutuminello Km 68 S.S. 117 bis direzione Gela (Gela), ☏ +39 0935 684003. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 11:00. The farmhouse, 3 Ears, use of a receptiveness of 56 places bed in double rooms, apartments and a suite, endowed with all the comforts: bathe in room, conditioned air, heating, TV, and in some apartment also angle cooking and angle living; you furnish in poor art, beaten iron, cooked and ancient cerammics make the comforting and refined structure. €40-70 in b&b. 

Go next

• The bus ride to Piazza Armerina gives a good view of Sicily's rugged interior and views across to Mount Etna.