Piazza Navona is one of the most famous squares in the world

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Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is one of the most famous squares in the world. You could say it is the most beautiful of Rome's many squares. The big and lively square features no less than three vast fountains. Another eyecatcher is the Baroque church of Sant'Agnese in Agone

 Location

The Piazza Navona is located in the historic center of Rome, of the west of the Pantheon. It is one of Rome's liveliest sites, with many outdoor cafes, restaurants and night clubs in the neighborhood.

ALL Inclusive vocation visit to Domitian's Stadium

Domitian's Stadium

The yard is built on the former Stadium of Domitian, constructed by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD. Hence the long, oval shape of the arena. The stadium, which had a larger area than the Colosseum was mainly bult for festivals and sporting events.

The stadium was known as 'Circus Agonalis' (competition arena). It is thought that over time the name has changed to 'in agone' to 'navone' and finally to 'navona.'

In the fifteenth century the stadium was started to be paved over to create the Navona square, but remnants of the stadium are still visible there. Guided tours to this underground monument are available, they start at site Tor Sanguigna 13.

ALL Inclusive vocation visit toFountain of the Four Rivers

 

Fountain of the Four Rivers

The main attraction of Piazza Navona is the trio of fountains that gives the square its touch of beauty . The main and largest fountain is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers). It was constructed and built between 1647 and 1651 on request of pope Innocent X

The design of the fountain was first commissioned to Borromini, but it was handed to his emulator Bernini. The fountain features four statues, each representing a river from a different continent - the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata. The figures  are at the base of a rock supporting an obelisk, mainly located at the Circus of Maxentius, close to the Appian Way

 

Neptune Fountain & Moor Fountain

The two other fountains on the piazza are the Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune fountain) at the north of the end and the Fontana del Moro (Moor fountain) at the southern end of the square.

The Fontana del Nettuno, also known as the Calderari, was constructed in 1576 by Giacomo della Porta. The figure of Neptune surrounded by sea nymphs were added in the nineteenth century.

Giacomo della Porta also constructed the Fontana del Moro. The main statue of a Moor holding a dolphin, designed by Bernini, was added in the seventeenth century. The three are nineteenth-century additions.

Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone

Another highlight at Navona square is the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. It was  built on the site where  to legend, St. Agnes was stripped naked, but miraculously saved from this by extraordinary growth of hair.

The front side of the Baroque church was designed by Borromini, Bernini's main emulator. Construction started just two years after the completion of Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, right in front of this beautiful building. The church was completed in 1670

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