Iconic Double-Helix Spiral Staircase at Vatican Museums

Photorealistic interior shot of the Vatican Museums' iconic double-helix spiral staircase designed by Giuseppe Momo (1932). View from above as the smooth limestone steps wind around a central void, bordered by low stone balustrades with ornate iron railings. Warm daylight pours through a skylight, casting soft, sculpted shadows on the steps and walls. A diverse crowd of tourists ascends and descends on both sides, with cameras, backpacks, and hats adding life and scale. The scene blends Renaissance-Baroque architectural elegance with modern visitors, in a timeless palette of warm beige and cream stone with cool gray shadows. Wide-angle, high-resolution, hyper-detailed textures, shallow depth of field toward the central spiral while keeping crisp detail on foreground rails.