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VATICAN MUSEUMS, A STAIRCASE YOU CAN’T MISS!

Imagine climbing a staircase that transports you back in time. The Bramante Staircase at the Vatican Museums is just that: a journey into the Italian Renaissance.
Commissioned by Pope Julius II and designed by the genius of Donato Bramante around 1505, this spiral staircase is an engineering masterpiece and a work of art in its own right.

Its helical structure, with columns that follow each other in perfect harmony, is an example of how art and science could perfectly merge in the Renaissance. As Alberto Angela pointed out, “Its spiral is the shape that, by twisting, creates movement, elevates and creates an infinite motion”. But Bramante’s genius doesn’t stop there: as you ascend, the alternation of the architectural orders of the columns (Tuscan, Ionic, and Composite) creates a play of light and shadow that enhances the staircase’s majesty.

Curious to know why it was built? Originally, the staircase was used to connect the new papal apartments to the garden and other areas of the Vatican. It is a functional work, but also a symbol of the power and grandeur of the Church.

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