Piazza Navona

With its ornate fountains, baroque palazzi and pavement cafés, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s showcase square. Like many of the city’s great landmarks, it sits on the site of an ancient monument, in this case the 1st-century-AD Stadio di Domiziano. This 30,000-seat stadium, remains of which can be seen from Piazza Tor Sanguigna, used to host games – the name Navona is a corruption of the Greek word agon, meaning public games. Inevitably, though, it fell into disrepair and it wasn’t until the 15th century that the crumbling arena was paved over and Rome’s central market transferred here from Campidoglio.

Today interest centres on Bernini’s extravagant Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers). Commissioned by Pope Innocent X and completed in 1651, it depicts the Rivers Nile, Ganges, Danube and Plata, representing the then-known four continents of the world. Legend has it that the figure of the Nile is shielding his eyes from the Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone, designed by Bernini’s hated rival, Borromini. In truth, it simply indicates that the source of the Nile was unknown at the time.

The Fontana del Moro at the southern end of the square was designed by Giacomo della Porta in 1576. Bernini added the Moor holding a dolphin in the mid-17th century, but the surrounding Tritons are 19th- century copies.

The 19th-century Fontana del Nettuno at the northern end of the piazza depicts Neptune fighting with a sea monster, surrounded by sea nymphs. The largest building in the square is the elegant Palazzo Pamphilj, built between 1644 and 1650 by Girolamo Rainaldi and Borromini to celebrate Giovanni Battista Pamphilj’s election as Pope Innocent X. It is now the Brazilian Embassy.