I Musei Vaticani Doppia Elica Scala a Chiocciola
“The Vatican Museums Double Helix Spiral Staircase” …
This modern double helix staircase is located in the Vatican Museum and is commonly referred to as the "Bramante Staircase" after the original architect who built the first staircase in 1505. It is unlikely that the Vatican realized when it commissioned Giuseppe Momo to build a staircase in 1932, that it would become one of the most photographed pieces in a museum that boasts nine miles of art. The Spiral Staircase, also called the Momo Staircase or the Snail Staircase, is made up of two wrought iron stairways – one going up, one going down – that curve in a double helix. Ironically, it was created at a time before the double helix became a symbol for science, DNA, and subsequently, all human life. The architect’s design was not drawn from at this time, an unknown DNA design, but was made like this purely for convenience. As the staircase was created to link the Belvedere Palace to the streets of Rome. Allowing Pope Julius II to travel directly from his private residence by carriage without fuss, with the staircase a ramp to hold the carriages rather than stairs. The reason for the two separate spirals was so carriages could travel up and down without interruptions, with one spiral marked for travels up, and the other for travels down. This staircase is truly a stunning sight to see, however, due to its age and fragility, visitors seeing this landmark in person is nearly impossible. As only a few exclusive tour groups are allowed access each year! While the staircase was once walked by every visitor to the Vatican Museum on their way in, it is no longer on the route and is closed to the public. Fortunately, my Roman tour guide, once again speaking with the guards, allowed me under the ropes to take a rare image without visitors present.
- Copyright
- c.Dino Carbetta
- Image Size
- 9000x6000 / 309.0MB
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- Dino's Pellegrinaggio