Caltagirone is located in the province of Catania which is about 76 km away and is an ancient city as demonstrated by numerous numismatic and artistic finds and documents. Caltagirone was also hit by the terrible earthquake of 1693 and many buildings, churches and magnificent works of art were destroyed. The reconstruction however maintained the late Renaissance layout represented by the crux viarum consisting of the Scala di Santa Maria del Monte vertically and the via S. Giorgio and via S. Giacomo horizontally. The monumental aspect of the historic center of the city is a truly evocative setting that is worth visiting calmly to get involved in the beautiful, always festive atmosphere.

Caltagirone offers a lot to its visitors, among the most important things to see we point out: the Villa Comunale, with a beautiful English garden, decorated by a balustrade with colored ceramic vases. Also on via Roma is the balcony of Casa Ventimiglia, decorated with beautiful 18th century majolica. Further on is the church of S. Francesco d’Assisi, with an imposing façade and the Church of Sant’Agata, home of the majolica confraternity. In Piazza Umberto I there is the Cathedral of S. Giuliano, a baroque building renovated at the beginning of the 20th century. Among the most notable things to see in Caltagirone, we remember the Staircase of S. Maria del Monte, with its 142 lava steps embellished with decorations with polychrome majolica tiles with various designs. At the top of the staircase is the Mother Church of S. Maria del Monte. The Bourbon Prison is also worth a visit because it is one of the most interesting and precious examples of eighteenth-century prison typology, now home to the Civic Museum. Twenty kilometers south-west of Caltagirone there is one of the most beautiful and extensive wooded areas in Sicily: the evergreen oak forest of Santo Pietro. Visit the forest of Santo Pietro by clicking on this page: Bosco di Santo Pietro di Caltagirone

If you visit Caltagirone during the Christmas period you will be fascinated by the atmosphere that reigns in the historic center during this period: the Museums, the Exhibitions, the artistic Nativity scenes, the Christmas Markets, the Living Nativity Scene in the Carruggi, the tasting fair of typical local products and much more inside the Christmas in Caltagirone.

Below you will find some tourist accommodation facilities where to stay in Caltagirone, where to sleep, eat or have fun, what to see in Caltagirone and its surroundings in the province of Catania.