Piazza Navona, Rome

Favorite thing: Piazza Navona, which was a five minute walk from our hotel is usually a hub of activity, except in the early morning (see photo). Evening is the most fun. All the restaurants are busy, mimes and street performers are abundant, magicians and musicians are entertaining the crowds, and artists are displaying their works.

Tre Scalini, one of Rome's most reknown restaurants is located on Piazza Navona. It was highly recommended by my good VT friend, pchamlis, but unforunately, we did not have enough evenings to eat there. I hear it is very good. If pchamlis says it is good, it must be good.

Favorite thing: it's the heart of the town where now it's full of coffee bar, tea room and wine bar where tourist like spend most of the time....

il cuore della città dove si trovano i più famosi caffè, tea room e wine bar e dove ai turisti piace trascorrere il tempo

Favorite thing: I loved walking around the area around the Piazza Navona - it has a wonderful ancient, relaxed and joyouse feel. The wonderful architecture, the palaces around the square all dressed up in different pastels to absorb the sun and create wonderful shadows. The fountains at each end gushing noisily and full of incredibly lifelike and engergetic sculpture - the intensity of life and of living well is around you. The pavement cafes are elegant and expensive, as are the pavement side boutiques full of beautiful souvenirs!

Fondest memory: What I miss about this place is the warmth and life of people who still have time to talk, to converse, to enjoy other's company, to be curious and charming as only Italians can be.

I am very envious of people living here! The sun probably has a lot to do with how personalities are developed, - I know I chill out more there than I do here in dull rainy England if you know what I mean!

Favorite thing: Explore the most beautiful Baroque square in all of Rome and home to three magnificent Benini fountains (most notably, the 'Fountain of Four Rivers') - PIAZZA NAVONA and its entire area.

This place literally rocks!

At night, Piazza Navona transforms itself into one of the most electric spots in the city where you'd see restaurants, pizzerias and stalls selling paintings to entice every tourist and potential customers.

Oh, I just love soaking in the atmosphere in this place!

Fondest memory: Would you believe it if I were to confess that I have never seen this many fountains and sculptures in my entire life.... until I visited PIAZZA NAVONA.

I stood right there in the middle of the square, for a loooong while... simply gasping in awe.

Favorite thing: Take your time to enjoy the atmosphere of this place, sitting on one of the stone benchs that you can find there, and have a good time with the street artists that are really a lot.-

Tómense su tiempo para disfrutar la atmósfera del lugar, sentados en alguno de los bancos de piedra que hay allí y disfruten de los artistas callejeros que son muchísimos.-

Favorite thing: It´s a beautiful square, always full of tourists and street artists. The fountains are really nice with a big mass of water that gives a special sound to the place. If you have enough money, you should sit in one of the cafés around the square, but they´re very expensive.-
At night if you want to have dinner, you should go early, not later than 9.00 p.m., because these cafés close early - at about 12.00 p.m. - and if you go after 9.00, there isn´t a good variety of food.-

Es una plaza bellísima, siempre llena de turistas y de artistas callejeros. Las fuentes son increiblemente bellas, y como en todo Italia, con una gran masa de agua en todas ellas, lo que le da un sonido especial al lugar. Si se tiene suficiente dinero vale la pena sentarse en uno de los cafés que rodean la plaza, pero son realmente caros. De noche, si uno quiere cenar debe ir temprano - 9 pm - porque cierran temprano y luego sólo sirven lo que ellos quieren.-

Favorite thing: This church is especially worth the visit for the 3 Caravaggio paintings it harbours in its Contarelli Chapel. They are super in situ examples of the talent of this revolutionary Italian artist whose fame brought him much acknowledgement, but whose lifestyle made him persecuted. The church in itself is also beautiful, as shown here, but is by no means exceptional compared to other buildings or Rome.

Favorite thing: The 4 rivers fountain is built around the obelisk - four white marble statues, five metres tall which represent the rivers.
The first was by Claude Poussin and was dedicated to the Ganges, symbolising Asia; the Nile, representing Africa, was carved by Giacomo Antonio Fancelli, its veiled head standing for the up till then unknown source of the river, the Danube for Europe, carved by Antonio Raggi and finally the Rio de la Plata, representing America by Francesco Baratta.