| What is it? |
A double helix staircase at the entrance to the Vatican Museums! |
| What makes it historical? |
On February 11, 1929, Italy and the Holy See signed a series of agreements called the Lateran Accords, which declared the Vatican and Holy See an independent nation from the Kingdom of Italy! With the new territory established, Pius XI led a major building spree to fill in the space of this new territory. He commissioned architect, Giuseppe Momo, to construct a new railway station, post office, several administrative palaces, and a grand new entrance to the Vatican Museums. This new entrance turned out to be a double helix staircase modeled off the Old Bramante Staircase. It has two levels running parallel to each other so folks can enter and leave without running into anyone going the opposite direction! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
- Buy some Vatican merchandise!
- Donate to the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
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| Where is this place? |
Viale Vaticano
00165 Roma RM
Italy
From Firenze: ~174mi (281km) — 2.9hrs
From Napoli: ~142mi (229km) — 2.4hrs
From Roma: ~1mi (2km) — 0.1hrs
From Venezia: ~329mi (530km) — 5.5hrs |
| When should I go? |
Tours run Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM and the last Sunday of the month from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM! |
