Amazing Stairways

Europe

Serbia

Traveling in Serbia you'll be amazed by a staircase in downtown Belgrade that has been painted in flat-weave kilim in a geometric pattern with the color red dominating. It is the design of the Pirot carpet that has been a symbol of Serbia for centuries. It is honored on its intangible cultural treasures list. The Pirot carpet was re-introduced for state ceremonies in 2011.

The staircase is located near Manak's House, a museum with a fantastic collection of more than 2,600 carpets, costumes, jewelry, and textiles from former Yugoslavian states. It is part of the Ethnographic Museum.

Romania

Rakoczi Staircase is located in Targu Mures, Romania. The inspiration for the staircase are the national costumes and peasant carpets of Translyvania. You'll see the red, black, and white geometric motifs on the painted staircase, rendered as digital pixels. It links Revolution Street with the Park of the Medieval Fortress.

The staircase was painted by local art students and volunteers and named for Prince Rakoczi, who led the Magyar revolution against the Austro-Hungarian Empire's Habsburg rulers in the 18th century.

Targu Mures is a city in Transylvania that is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. It is known as the Land Of Dracula due to the novel "Dracula" by Bram Stocker which was inspired by a ruthless 15th-century prince and local vampire folklore.

Italy

Sicily

Scala di Santa Maria del Monte in Caltagirone, Sicily you'll be amazed at seeing ceramic tiles in unique patterns in each row of the stairs that lead up to a church. The tiles alternate between floral, geometric, and figurative motifs in colors of blue, green, yellow, and white.

The design was influenced by the history of Sicily when under Arab, Norman, Spanish, and Greek rule and styles from the 10th to the 20th centuries, from Renaissance and Baroque to contemporary. For the month of May due to Italy's "flower carpet" traditions on the stairs, you'll find hundreds of flowerpots and potted plants arranged in a mural. The mural stair designs can range from a flower vase, giant flower to events.

On July 24-25 on the stairs are magical flickering colored lanterns honoring St, James, the town patron saint and on August 14-15 the Virgin Mary. The city of Caltagirone has a 7,000-year-old ceramic tradition and belongs to an association of Italy's ceramic cities.

Spain

Dragon Stairs in Parc Guell in Barcelona, Spain are amazing. In Antoni Gaudi's creative and imaginative fantasy park you'll see a large blue mosaic salamander sculpture sitting amid the double stairway that has been nicknamed "Dragon Stairs" They lead up to the Hall of Columns.

It took Gaudi 14 years on the project that is found on the edge of Gracia, a suburb of Barcelona. The house he lived in at Park Guell is a museum that displays furnishings for other projects he created.

Portugal

At the Marques de Pombal Palace in Oeiras, Portugal you'll find a majestic stone outdoor stairway created with azulejo murals in blue and white. This is an impressive 18th century Rococo and Baroque palace in greater Lisbon.

It was once the home of the Marques de Pombal, who redesigned Lisbon after a devastating earthquake in 1755. The interior is filled with azulejo wall murals of 18th-century life. There are ornate ceilings, statues, and paintings.

You can learn about the history of azulejos, the hand-painted ceramic tiles the Moors brought over during their conquest of Portugal and Spain. Today you can see entire walls, floors, ceilings, building facades, and palace, church, villa, and train station interiors covered with these tiles.

Asia

Iran

The Rose Stairway in Tehran, Iran is decorated with ceramic murals with roses on them. You can see them on the stairway on Valiasr Street which is the longest street. The seven-color mural is the creation of artist Kamyar Sadeghi.

The rose is the national flower of Iran and has been praised in Persian literature and poetry. Rosewater has flavored desserts, been a health remedy, and used for perfume.

Lebanon

The Pattern Stairs in Beirut, Lebanon have a different geometric two-color pattern that is painted on each horizontal row in the Mar Mikhael district on the Daraj el-Beera stairs.

Dihazahyners has brightened the city of Beirut with many painted stairways and designs in parks. Receiving permission from the city and partnering with Colortes, a paint and wallpaper company Dihzahyners (a combination of designers and dhan the Arabic word for paint) posts its public paint events on social media and welcomes newcomers.

Thailand

The Naga Steps at the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand are an ornate mosaic of a sacred serpent slithering down each side of the stairway that ascends to the hilltop Buddhist temple.

Even though a tram can take you to the top it is a delight to climb these 306 steps and see the serpents. Serpent sculptures have decorated stair rails and roofs of Buddhist temples because a naga once guarded the Buccha during his meditation in northern India.

The temple is located on the hilltop about 10 miles from Chiang Mai. The location was chosen by the King's sacred white elephant centuries ago, The elephant climb up the hill, trumpeted three times and walked in a circle three times, then knelt. You can enjoy panoramic views from the top.

South Korea

In Busan, the second-biggest city in South Korea you can see the Stairs to See Stars where paintings and tile mosaics of salamanders, butterflies, local flowers, and human figures decorate 148 steps.

Busan is a major port and it has a colorful art district. Pastel houses that have been painted in pink, peach, aqua, and yellow and narrow alleyways look lovely on a hillside in Gamcheon. The district was reborn through an art project known as "Dreaming Of Machu Picchu in Busan" from the government's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

North America

Canada

The York Street Steps in Ottawa, Canada are very colorful steps with fish jumping about. The steps are located in ByWard Market the main entertainment and shopping district.

California

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps in San Franciso, California are a masterpiece of more than 75,000 mosaic tiles, mirrors, and stained glass fragments that depict the sea, earth, sky, flowers, and marine creatures in a myriad of colors.

The steps are the crowned jewel of Golden Gate Heights in the Sunset, a low-rise district with small pastel houses. The 163 steps offer fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean from the top.

Micheltorena Stairs in Los Angeles, California is a painted stairway with big red rand rows of blue, pink, green and yellow located in Silver Lake, a district east of central Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard.

Not too far from this stairway are The Piano Stairs.

South America

Brazil

Escadaria Selaron in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a stairway with more than 2,000 tiles, The stairs link the Santa Teresa and Lapa districts.

The creative artist is Jorge Selaron, an artist from Chile. The colors feature those of the flag of Brazil, yellow, green, and blue, walls of red tiles and the staircase also has tiles Selaron bought in antique shops, scavenged from streets, or donated by supporters. In the end, he had installed tiles from more than 60 countries Rapper Snoop Dogg featured the stairs in his music video for Beautiful, a love letter to Rio.

Chile

The Piano Steps in Valparaiso, Chile have been painted to resemble piano keys. This is a 29-step stairway on Beethoven Street, across from Alecon Fine Hostel.

The port city of Valparaiso is built on steep hillsides with colorful houses. Funiculars can take you to higher heights with panoramic views of the bay, The city is considered to be the street art capital of Chile.