
The Vatican Museum has one of the most famous stairs in the world - this spiral staircase, designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932, is sometimes called Bramante stairs. This is because the staircase designed by architect Momo was inspired by the spiral sheets of Donato Bramante, built in 1505, which are also in the Vatican. Donatas Bramante's spiral staircase is not open to tourists and is used by the Pope. The modern Vatican staircase, like the original Bramente staircase, has a double helix shape. The double spiral staircase allows people to get up and down the stairs simultaneously without meeting each other. As with the old stairs, the main purpose is to allow continuous movement in each direction. The stairs are at the end of the museum visit and all visitors are required to pass these stairs when leaving the museum.