Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone, Sicily
Sicily is an island and, therefore, best known for its coastal towns and beaches. But, the interior of Sicily is just as fascinating.
In the past, I've posted about Modica, the chocolate capital of Sicily, which is a half hour north of the coastal town of Sampieri.
Another great town in the interior of the island is Caltagirone, a hill town about an hour by car from Catania. The city is known worldwide for its ceramics, which are made using the local clay.
There are dozens and dozens (maybe hundreds) or ceramic artists in Caltagirone, and many of them have their own shops and studios. Many of these shops line either side of the Staircase of Santa Maria Monte (Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte), a massive 142 step climb that leads to the old town and city administration buildings. The amazing thing about the staircase is that each step is decorated with tiles featuring and different theme. Oftentimes the staircase is adorned with flowers or, like on St. James Day, candles.
Unfortunately, the day we visited was foggy and drizzly, so I couldn't get a picture of the entire staircase, but, trust me, it's dazzling.
When entering a ceramics shop in Caltagirone (or any shop in Italy, for that matter) be sure to greet the person working there. It's very impolite not to, and they may ignore you if you don't. There are bunches of ceramics shops lining the Staircase of the Santa Maria Monte, each carrying ceramics from a single artist or several from the area.
Sometimes the artist has a studio right on site and, if you ask, you can watch them while they work.
You'll notice that many of the pieces have a heavy Arabic influence. This is because the Moors dominated Sicily for over one hundred years until the Normans expelled them in the 11th century. Even today, there is a strong Arabic presence in Sicily. Citrus, eggplant, pistachios and so many more of the treasures of Sicilian cuisine were brought to the island by the Moors.
Sicilians often have darker complexions, eyes, and curlier hair than their compatriots on the mainland, belying their past as an Arab outpost. This often leads me to wonder if the Sicilians' heritage is why they are more tolerant of immigrants and refugees than some other parts of Italy.
After climbing 142 steps, you'll probably be hungry. There's some good restaurants near the staircase and there's also a ceramic museum in town. But, if you're not staying overnight, you probably want to make your way to the train station. It's a bit of a walk and the station is tiny and the last trains leave early. We know, we were almost stranded in Caltagirone. We purchased a ticket for what we thought was the last train. Turned out, there were no more trains that evening, just a bus. We asked around and at one point were directed down a hill from the train station to what turned out to be an abandoned bus depot. Asking a police officer did no good so we trekked back to the train station and wandered around a bit more.
I was beginning to think we might have to look for a hotel when a tiny eight seat bus pulled up. Two elderly ladies motioned for us to get on. We showed the driver our tickets and he nodded, motioning for us to take a seat.
By now, night had fallen, and the fog and drizzle was even heavier than before. The driver raced down the curving roads leading out of the Caltagione like he had just robbed a bank. We white-knuckled it all the way as he rode the tail, and then blindly passed, all of other drivers in the fog. The only other passengers in the bus, the elderly ladies who had directed us onto this hell-ride, sat quietly in their seats. They'd obviously experienced this before.
***
If you enjoyed this story, you might like my novel Truffle Hunt
Order the Truffle Hunt ebook at Amazon
Order a softcover copy of Truffle Hunt at Eckhartz Press
In the past, I've posted about Modica, the chocolate capital of Sicily, which is a half hour north of the coastal town of Sampieri.
Another great town in the interior of the island is Caltagirone, a hill town about an hour by car from Catania. The city is known worldwide for its ceramics, which are made using the local clay.
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| Ceramic tile work, Caltagirone, Sicily |
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| Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone, Sicily |
When entering a ceramics shop in Caltagirone (or any shop in Italy, for that matter) be sure to greet the person working there. It's very impolite not to, and they may ignore you if you don't. There are bunches of ceramics shops lining the Staircase of the Santa Maria Monte, each carrying ceramics from a single artist or several from the area.
 |
| Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone, Sicily |
You'll notice that many of the pieces have a heavy Arabic influence. This is because the Moors dominated Sicily for over one hundred years until the Normans expelled them in the 11th century. Even today, there is a strong Arabic presence in Sicily. Citrus, eggplant, pistachios and so many more of the treasures of Sicilian cuisine were brought to the island by the Moors.
 |
| Tile artwork near Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone, Sicily |
After climbing 142 steps, you'll probably be hungry. There's some good restaurants near the staircase and there's also a ceramic museum in town. But, if you're not staying overnight, you probably want to make your way to the train station. It's a bit of a walk and the station is tiny and the last trains leave early. We know, we were almost stranded in Caltagirone. We purchased a ticket for what we thought was the last train. Turned out, there were no more trains that evening, just a bus. We asked around and at one point were directed down a hill from the train station to what turned out to be an abandoned bus depot. Asking a police officer did no good so we trekked back to the train station and wandered around a bit more.
I was beginning to think we might have to look for a hotel when a tiny eight seat bus pulled up. Two elderly ladies motioned for us to get on. We showed the driver our tickets and he nodded, motioning for us to take a seat.
By now, night had fallen, and the fog and drizzle was even heavier than before. The driver raced down the curving roads leading out of the Caltagione like he had just robbed a bank. We white-knuckled it all the way as he rode the tail, and then blindly passed, all of other drivers in the fog. The only other passengers in the bus, the elderly ladies who had directed us onto this hell-ride, sat quietly in their seats. They'd obviously experienced this before.
***
If you enjoyed this story, you might like my novel Truffle Hunt
Order the Truffle Hunt ebook at Amazon
Order a softcover copy of Truffle Hunt at Eckhartz Press
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