Caltagirone

Caltagirone is a town and Comune in the Province Of Catania , on the island (and region) of Sicily . It is bounded by the comuni of Acate (RG), Gela (CL), Grammichele, Licodia Eubea , Mazzarino (CL), Mazzarrone, Mineo, Mirabella Imbaccari, Niscemi (CL), Piazza Armerina (EN), San Michele di Ganzaria.

HISTORY

Caltagirone is a city located on three hills at about 600m above sea level in the interior of Sicily , about 70km SW of Catania .

The city has been long famous for the production of Pottery and Terra-cotta wares. Nowadays the production is more and more oriented to artistic production of ceramics and terra-cotta sculptures. Other activities are mainly related to agriculture (production of Grape s, Olive s, Peach es).

A collection of ancient and modern pottery and terra-cotta, dating back to the Magna Grecia period, is available in the local museum of pottery. Several other related exhibitions, either permanent or temporary, can be found in the city, with specific reference to particular productions, such as The Nativity .

The city was almost completely destroyed by the severe Earthquake of 1693 . Many public and private buildings have then been reconstructed in Baroque style. Primarily for this reason, the city has been inserted, together with the surrounding territory in an area protected by the UNESCO World Heritage program.

The main landmark of the city is a 142-step monumental staircase in the old part of the town. The peculiarity is that each step is decorated with different hand-decorated ceramics, using styles and figures derived from the millennial tradition of pottery making. Once a year, in the days of the Saint of the City ( Saint James , 25 July ), the staircase is illuminated with candles of different color arranged in order to reconstruct and artistic drawing of several tens of meters.

The city is also famous for giving birth to don ), ruling Italian politics for almost 50 years after the World War II.

Information About ™

Caltagirone

Information About ^{^™}