The natural prosecution of the Stairway of Giants, the Golden Stairway owes its name to rich ornamental stuccoes featuring pure gold foils, made by Alessandro Vittoria, which surround frescoes and symbolic representations. The construction was started in 1556 at the request of doge Lorenzo Priuli and upon design by Jacopo Sansovino and went on almost until the end of the century. The large archway used as a way through the stairway was made by Scarpagnino. It is the grand stairway of the Palace through which you can climb up the two upper floors. It is made up of five ramps, with the first one being dedicated to Venus, while the one leading to the doge’s apartment is dedicated to Neptune, symbol of the supremacy of the city over the sea.