Caltagirone, the Town of Ceramics

Because we just don’t climb enough stairs in hilly Sicily, it was time to put ourselves to the test and head to Caltagirone, where we could climb the famous La Scala stairway, 142 steps  up hill to the church of Santa Maria del Monte. The church remains to be seen, as we only made it up about 12 steps and ducked into a pizza ristorante for lunch. It should be said we didn’t order pizza, because it is not made during the day, due to the heat of the pizza oven. Back to the steps. They are unique. Each riser has a unique set of hand-painted ceramic tiles. There are abstract and figurative tiles, heraldic and mythical themes, birds, fish, hunters, sailors and geometric patterns. The predominant colors are blues, greens and yellows. Although the way up the hill has existed for hundreds of years, the tiled risers were only installed in the 1950s. In full disclosure mode, our fellow travelers made it to the top and back down again. Good for them. I enjoyed a glass of wine.

Caltagirone has a long tradition of making ceramics. The town offers many examples of local ceramic work, and the first to greet you are the relief tiles on the San Fransesco Bridge. Ceramic shops abound, and I have no idea how so many shops can support so many shopkeepers, as we saw few tourists during our walking and tram tour of the town. And thank heavens for the tram. The stone streets are uneven and hilly, and taking the tram gave us many more street views than we could have seen by foot.

Scaling La Scala up 142 steep stone steps

The stairs are on the steep side. Many climbers stop and rest, or just sit awhile on the ascent. We made it to the Ristorante Pizzeria a tenth of the way up! Yea us!

The dome of this church is ceramic tiles

The San Francesco Bridge leading to the city center is paneled with decorative ceramic tiles

The crest on the bridge panel is of the same distinctive aqua blue as the church dome. I purchased a piece of tile that color to match my kitchen

Another town building features aqua tile decor 1n the flower pots on the balcony railing

Typical ceramics ware from Caltagirone

Greenware at a ceramics producer

Paint pots for the greenware

Even this structure in a local park features ceramic decor

We are riding in a tram negotiating the very narrow streets and up and down hills

Did I mention Caltagirone is hilly?

More street scenes from Caltagirone: