Piazza Navona
Rome
Piazza Navona is Rome's Baroque drawing room, an elongated square that traces the shape of Domitian's ancient stadium. Theatrical fountains, above all Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, converse with the façade of the church facing them. Between street artists, historic cafés and palaces, it is one of the most enchanting places in the city.
From stadium to square
Piazza Navona preserves the elongated shape of the ancient Stadium of Domitian, built around AD 85 for athletic contests. The square occupies exactly the arena where races were once run: beneath the cobblestones, the outline of the stadium is still there.
The Fountain of the Four Rivers
The heart of the square is the Fountain of the Four Rivers, Gian Lorenzo Bernini's masterpiece, created between 1648 and 1651 for Pope Innocent X. Four imposing allegorical figures represent the great rivers of the four continents known at the time. An obelisk rises in the centre. The statue of the Nile has a veiled head, to show that the river's sources were still unknown.
Bernini, Borromini and the rivalry
Opposite the fountain stands the church whose façade is the work of Francesco Borromini, Bernini's eternal rival. A popular legend claims that the figures of the fountain show contempt for the rival's church; in reality the fountain was finished before the façade, so it is only an anecdote.
Visiting Piazza Navona
Today the square is alive with artists, portrait painters and historic cafés. It is very close to the Pantheon and to Campo de' Fiori. It is especially charming at Christmas, when it hosts a traditional market. Strolling among its fountains at sunset is one of the most romantic moments of the Roman treasure map.
