Piazza Navona, Rome

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Piazza Navona
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brendareed 498 reviews
art show in the Piazza Navona
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We wandered over to Piazza Navona mainly because I wanted to see Bernini’s famous Four Rivers fountain. What we found was a neat piazza that, while it recognizes the many tourists that come here, it still seemed to have a local feel to it.

Piazza Navona is big – or rather I should say long. It gets it shape from the ancient stadium that was built by Domitian in the 1st century. Over the years, various popes have added to the surrounding area, but the general shape remains the same. In fact, you can see the footprint of the ancient stadium’s northern curve under the modern buildings of the next piazza to the north of Navona – the Piazza Tor Sanguigna. While the piazza is set on an ancient site, the redesign of the piazza into a local community spot didn’t occur until the 1600s when Pope Innocent X decided to fix up the piazza that was home to his family palazzo.

The Piazza Navona is famous for Bernini’s fountain, which sits in the center of the long plaza (see my separate Fountain of the Four Rivers tip about this fountain) and its obelisk for which the fountain was built around. At either end of the piazza are two additional fountains, each attracting tourists as they sit along the edges and enjoy a pleasant care-free moment.

At the northern end of the piazza is the Fontana di Nattuno, which depicts Neptune fighting with some sort of sea monster or giant squid like thing. This fountain is more recent, being built in the late 1800s.

At the southern end of the piazza is the Fontana del Moro, built in 1576, although what you see today are replicas with the originals on display at the Villa Borghese. The main focus of this fountain is the Moor standing in the center with mermen blowing through their shells on either side.

While we wandered along the piazza, we just enjoyed watching the people. Children chasing the pigeons, people having lunch or just soaking up the warmth of the sun, and tourists taking photos of everything (yeah – I was one of them!). As we sat on a bench to relax, we listened to the two boys on the next bench calling out to anyone that would listen to them to buy their fresh squeezed orange juice. Chatting with them (and getting their photo), we learned that they were two American students in Rome for school who decided to make a little extra cash. I’m not sure how much they made from their bench since I didn’t see anyone else come to their make-shift juice stand, which consisted of a flimsy tray, a juicer, and a bag of sugar. But they were enjoying the day and having fun so all was good.

At the northern end of the piazza was an art show – easels displaying the works of local artists. It fit my idea of Rome – so much fine art in this town that they should have a vibrant local art scene. Cafes were all around this end of the piazza (not so much on the southern end) and the homes as well as the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone that line the piazza were beautiful. Sadly, I wasn’t able to get into the church, which is supposed to be built on the site where in AD 304 St. Agnes was exposed in efforts to get her to recant her faith. Next time in Rome (I guess I need to throw that coin into the Trevi Fountain with all this thinking about my next time in this city…)!

Piazza Navona is not far from many of the wonderful churches of Rome. It is just around the corner from the San Luigi dei Francesi (home to three magnificent Caravaggio paintings) and a couple blocks away from the Pantheon. And be sure to stop by for a quick look at one of Rome’s talking statues, Pasquino, which rests right around the corner from the southern tip of the Piazza Navona.

Updated Apr 29, 2012

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Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain
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In the center of the Piazza Navona is one of Bernini’s most magnificent fountains, built at the base of an Egyptian obelisk - Fountain of the Four Rivers.

While the piazza is set on the site of the ancient stadium for Domitian (1st century AD), the redesign of the piazza into a local community spot didn’t occur until the 1600s when Pope Innocent X decided to fix up the piazza that was home to his family palazzo. Innocent decided to commission a fountain to support the obelisk that had been laying around for centuries in the Circus Maximus, broken into five pieces.

Bernini was the leading sculptor in Rome during this time, but the story is that Pope Innocent purposely would not allow Bernini to put in his bid to create the statue – not sure why, perhaps to give some up and coming artists a chance or maybe he felt Bernini was overwhelmed with all his other projects). Anyway, Bernini did come up with a design and the pope’s nephew found a way to get his uncle to see the design and, as they say, the rest is history.

The fountain is designed around the concept of four large allegorical statues at the base of the obelisk, which appears to be a large rock. These figures represent four rivers of the world – not necessarily the longest or the most famous rivers as we think of them, but remember the time of the sculpture and the geography known in the 1600s. The rivers of the fountain are the Ganges, Danube, Nile, and the Plate.

The obelisk was brought to Rome by Emperor Domitian (same guy who built the stadium where the Piazza Navona is located). The hieroglyphics on the obelisk aren’t really Egyptian since Domitian paid some Romans to carve them and refer to Domitian as the ‘eternal pharaoh’ and record his father and brother as gods. At the top of the obelisk is a dove, which represents Pope Innocent X.

The fountain is a very popular place with tourists and, where lots of tourists are, you can bet the salesmen of cheap sunglasses, knock-off purses, and silly toys will be there. Unfortunately, they were all around the base of the fountain itself so that if you wanted to get up close and look at the fountain, you had to run through the gauntlet of these never-accept-no-for-an-answer guys. Just walk through them, don’t make eye contact, firmly say no, and enjoy Bernini’s fountain!

Updated Apr 29, 2012

Address: center of Piazza Navona

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Piazza Navona
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Ines_ 38 reviews
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Piazza Navona is, for me, the most beautiful square in Rome. It has two incredible fountains, being the “Four Rivers Fountain” (represents Danube, Ganges, Nile, and Rio de la Plata) the most well-known.

In the square you can also find church, lots of restaurants, at afternoon/evening: artists and also a café (Tre Scalini) that serves Tartufo: a rich handmade chocolate ice cream roll – if you want to eat it seated on the restaurant the price will double.

Advice: just bring it outside and eat it one of the Piazza’s benches.

Written Mar 18, 2012

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Possibly the most charming of Rome's Piazzas
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zadunajska8 225 reviews
St Agnes in Agony Church in Piazza Navona
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We were delighted to find the Piazza Navona. It really is a charming and romantic square which felt much more relaxed than the frantic city does generally. The 3 fountains are all beautiful but the central fountain of the 4 rivers is a remarkable work of art, especially when viewed at sunset with the church of St Agnes in Agony as a backdrop. The restaurants and cafes on the square are naturally somewhat overpriced due to their location, but it is worth stoping at least for a coffee and a bit of people watching in one of them in my opinion, just for the experience. All the restaurants do seem to be quite aggressive in trying to get passersby in to their premises however, which can be annoying.

Written Oct 23, 2011

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The Ultimate Roman Piazza
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iblatt 663 reviews
Bernini
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I first read about Piazza Navona in a book about the history of art for children, before I ever visited it. The book told the story of the Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini, who lost the contract to build the church in Piazza Navona to his competitor, and then took his revenge: When he designed the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the four Rivers) in the center of the piazza, one prominent figure appears as if he is afraid the church is going to collapse and fall on his head (see main photo).

Since then I have visited Rome several times, and every time I am drawn to this magnificent Baroque piazza. You walk through the small lanes of old Rome and it suddenly opens up in front of you in all its beauty. In its center there is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. The four river-gods of the world recline majestically, representing the four continents where Papal dominance had spread by the 17th century: Danube (representing Europe), Nile (Africa), Ganges (Asia) and Plate (America). An obelisk with the Pamphili family emblem (dove and olive twig) towers above them.

This is only one detail of the great harmonious whole which makes Piazza Navona what it is. In Roman times there was a stadium in this place, which accounts for its elongated shape.
In the 16th century this was Rome's public market square. The piazza as we see it today was commissioned by Pope Innocent X in the 17th century, glorifying his family, the Pamphili. The Pamphili palace (by Rainaldi), the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone (by Borromini and others), and two smaller fountains at either end of the piazza are other parts of the whole harmonious ensemble.

But besides the buildings, sculptures and fountains, the other source of attraction of Piazza Navona are the people. Romans and, of course, lots of tourists, some of them first-timers in Rome who try to take it all in. There are street artists, local bands playing popular Italian melodies, photographers, tour guides, and lots of people in the cafes and restaurants.

One thing is sure: Piazza Navona is a must in every visit to Rome!

Written Sep 24, 2011

Website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona

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FOUNTAIN OF FOUR RIVERS
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DAO 2877 reviews
MASTERPIECE !
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If you see one thing at night in Rome, make it this fountain in the Piazza Navona. This sculpture and masterpiece was created by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). It was commissioned by Pope Innocent X to add a flourish to his family compound and creating a fountain for Romans by using the recently restored waters of the Acqua Vergine. In the centre is the Egyptian Obelisk taken from the Circus of Massenzio. The four mammoth figures on the sides represent 4 great rivers of the known world and were created by 4 of Bernini’s students. They are:
• The figure of Nile - sculpted by Jacopo Antonio Fancelli and represents Africa
• The Ganges by Claude Poussin (Asia)
• The Danube by Antonio Raggi (Europe)
• The Plate by Francesco Baratta (Americas)
If you get the chance to see this fabulous fountain on a warm Roman night you will truly understand Rome. The Piazza is alive with cafes, restaurants, scooters and a buzz of people. Its pretty good in the daytime too.

Updated Aug 18, 2011

Website: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/4rivers/4rivers.html

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Piazza Navona
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Maria81 376 reviews
Piazza Navona

History

One of Rome's most favous squares, or piazzas, Piazza Navona was built on the site of previous Roman monuments (like most of the city) - namely Stadium of Domitian, which does explain its oval shape. There is still a sign of Domitian left on the square - it's his obelisk that is part of the central fountain we can see today.

It is also one of the finest examples of Baroque Rome, with churches (Sant'Agnese in Agone and also Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore), fountains (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers, Fontana del Moro or Fountain of the Moor, and the Fountain of Neptune), and palaces (Palazzo Pamphili and Palazzo Braschi)

The square is a place teeming with artists, souvenir sellers, musicians, eateries and overall one could easily spend a couple of hours if visiting the monuments themselves.

Warnings

As with most popular tourist locations, beware of pick-pockets (we had an unpleasant experience at another square, that by the Trevi fountain). Also be very much prepared for the fact that it will be crowded.

Written Aug 16, 2011

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Piazza Navona near the Pantheon
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Fontana dei Quatrro Fiumi
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One of the more popular city squares in Rome, there were many people just hanging out at this piazza. A beautiful fountain, Fontana dei Quatrro Fiumi, is located in the piazza in front of the Palazzo Pamphilj. There are also two other fountains at the southern end of the piazza. It's very close to the Pantheon so you should combine this visit.

Some tidbits of information:

Fontana dei Quatrro Fiumi was built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1651. Dan Brown's book, Angels and Demons, listed the fountain as one of the Altars of Science and the southern end of the piazza was used in the filming of the movie.

Written Jun 17, 2011

Address: Piazza Navona, Roma, Italy 00186

Phone: +39.06.9896.8924

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Fountain of the Four Rivers
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An example of Baroque urban planning.
The Piazza was built in 1st century to stage athletics competitions.

Its name was gradually corrupted by the Roman dialect during the Middle-Ages:
The "Piazza in Agone" became the "Piazza N'Agone", and finally the "Piazza Navona".

Updated May 22, 2011

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on our walk
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Arizona_Girl 48 reviews

We talked from our hotel, to the Trevi Fountain, to the Pantheon, to the 4 rivers fountain plaza. Its an easy walk. Lots to see along the way. The fountain is large and beautiful. Couldn't see the bird on the top of the obelisk that "Demons and Angels" said was there. It looked like a lovely place to stay a while and relax.

Updated May 19, 2011

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