Momo Staircase (Vatican Museums, Vatican )

The Momo Staircase, also called the Snail Staircase or Simonetti Staircase, is formed by two separate wrought iron stairways–one going up, one going down–which twist together to form a double helix. This design allows people ascending without meeting people descending, thus guaranteeing uninterrupted traffic in each direction in the popular Vatican museums. It is unlikely that the Vatican realized in 1932 when commissioning the Italian architect Giuseppe Simonetti that this staircase would become one of the most photographed in the world.






















