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Caltagirone (; or Caltaggiruni; ) is an inland city and municipality () in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island (and region) of Sicily, Southern Italy, about southwest of Catania.
It is the fifth most populous municipality of the Metropolitan City, behind Catania, Acireale, Misterbianco and Paternò. Alongside Catania, it is the only town that has a tribunal seat in the former province. Since 1987, the comune has enjoyed the City title, through a presidential act. After Caltanissetta, it is the second-most populous comune in Central Sicily.
The town is a production center of pottery, particularly maiolica and terra-cotta wares. Contemporary production is more and more oriented to artistic production of ceramics and terra-cotta sculptures. Other activities are mainly related to agriculture (production of , , ), third-sector activities, light industry and tourism.
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as shown by the presence of two necropolises dating from the second millenniumBCE, and by numerous other archaeological finds. It was later inhabited by the , a people who predated Roman occupation and control.
Inside the municipal area, there's the archaeological area of Monte San Mauro, dug by archaeologist Paolo Orsi during the early 20th century, where there was found an inhabited area with a cult area and a necropolis: it would be likely a Leontinoi subcolony, the Chalcidians town of Euboia, despite some scientists think it would be also the case of a Colony under Gela rule, because of the important closure between the archaeological area and the Geloan Fields.
During the Middle Age, Arabs built a castle here; in 1030 it was attacked by troops under the Byzantine general George Maniakes. The current town's Sicilian dialect continues to have traces of Ligurian language. The city flourished under the Normans, Hohenstaufen and Aragonese domination, becoming a renowned center for production of ceramics.
The city was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1693. Many public and private buildings were reconstructed in a Sicilian Baroque style. The city has an array of architectural resources and, together with the surrounding territory, is protected by the UNESCO World Heritage program.
During unification struggles, on 29 May 1860, the town was looted by the Bourbon army led by general Gaetano Afan de Rivera; they were fleeing from the Garibaldini forces towards Catania. Dizionario geografico dei comuni della Sicilia e delle frazioni comunali, by Giuseppe di Vita; Editor: F Pravata, Palermo; 1906; page 43.
During the first part of the 20th century, the town was a stronghold of Italian Christian democracy movement, due to the presence of renowned politician Luigi Sturzo, Italian People's Party founder. Later, the town produced such nationwide politicians as Italian Prime minister Mario Scelba, and Sicilian president Silvio Milazzo.
Before and after this period, Caltagirone saw the building of many monuments in Art Nouveau style: some examples are the Saint Julian church portal, the Officine Elettriche (it could be translated as Electrical Factories), some nobles' palaces (for example Palazzo della Magnolia) and the Vittorio Emanuele's Post office.
As part of Operation Husky (9–10 July 1943), the town was bombed by Allied air forces. The attacks resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and led to the destruction of several buildings of historical significance.
During the World War II, the town was one of the earliest Operation Husky checkpoints, in which there were all of the three Ally contingents (US, Canada and British Army). Also, it was the final theatre of the Indepentist season, specifically the area of San Mauro; there, the Carabinieri and the Concetto Gallo-ruled EVIS had a battle, won by the Italian army.
The hamlet () of Santo Pietro became the site of the so-called Biscari Massacre on 14 July 1943. At Airfield 504 in Santo Pietro, soldiers of the United States Army committed a war crime by executing 74 Italians and 2 German prisoners of war.
After this period, the town experienced, during the rest of the 20th century, some oscillations concerning overall population, remaining between 36,000 and 39,000 inhabitants; meanwhile, the town dramatically Urban sprawl, increasing its urban area, and developing its own suburban area, that has both suburban features and countryside ones.
Today, Caltagirone is a mid-tier Sicilian town. It is one of the 25 most populous towns in Sicily, and one of the 250 most populous in Italy.
Its hamlets ( Frazione) are Albanazzo, Colleggiata (or Collegiata), Favarella, Granieri, Mulino Buongiovanni, Piano Carbone, Piano San Paolo, Rangasia, San Basilio – Casa Prete, San Mauro, Santo Pietro, Serra Fornazzo, Signore del Soccorso, Villa Gravina and Villa Grazia.
The main landmark of the city is the 142-step monumental Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, built from 1608 in the old part of the town. Each step is decorated with different hand-decorated ceramics, using styles and figures derived from the city's millennial tradition of pottery making. Once a year, on and around the day of the city's patron saint, (St.James, 25 July), the staircase is illuminated with candles of different colours. They are arranged to create an artistic display of several tens of meters.
Religious buildings include:
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