the tiles of Caltagirone, Sicily, worth it?

The drive from where?

We went there en route from/to Villa Romana del Casale. Eh, the staircase is attractive enough, but I wouldn't make a special trip. The area around it is very touristy/commercialized. We didn't venture beyond the steps, staying only about 30 minutes. It was more than enough for us.

We are coming from Syracuse. I guess we will skip it, thanks for your opinion.

I hadn’t seen this post until now, and sounds like the decision was made and you may not even be around southeastern Sicily anymore, but we stayed in Caltagirone for 2 nights in December 2012. Probably the finest place involving tiles except for in Lisbon, Portugal. We got a very nice tile made with a number 3 to put on our front door - a treasured and useful memento! The town was well-located for exploring the surrounding area and the town itself was enjoyable.

Our B&B was right at the top of the staircase, which required some effort to climb up all the way after dinner. No row of the stairs looked the same - all different tiles. The businesses lining the sides of the stairs did make it a commercialized corridor, but it was the center of town. The area beyond town was not overly touristy - undeveloped land with some ancient Greek and Roman ruins that took some effort to locate.

Going out of the way from Siracusa just to see the stairs might not be worthwhile. But if you’re nearer Caltagirone, especially as a fan of tiles, it’s worth a visit.