Caltagirone, Sicily

La Scala is a stairway of 142 steps running up a hill to the church of Santa Maria del Monte. Each of the risers (the vertical part of the steps) has a unique set of hand-painted ceramic tiles, with usually two or three different designs of tile to each step. Near the foot of La Scala is the Corte Capitanale, with a large modern mosaic and an even larger painted tile panel. Elsewhere in the town are many examples of local ceramic work, perhaps most notably the relief tiles on the San Fransesco bridge. Click on the thumbnail pictures to enlarge them.

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