Piazza Navona is considered the second most beautiful square in Rome.
The Piazza Navona is considered the second most beautiful square in Rome after Piazza Saint Peter’s.
Piazza Navona is a baroque rectangular open piazza which was once a stadium, the Circus Domitianus, which hosted ancient Greek Agonal games. It was constructed in the first century AD, but over the years it crumbled and became what it is today.
The piazza has three predominant fountains, Fontana del Moro, Fountain of Neptune, and Fountain of the Four Rivers. However, La Fontana Dei Fuimi is considered one of the greatest works of Bernini.
In the 1450s, the piazza became the host for markets, festivals, and processions, forcing the city to pave it. Over the years, restaurants, cafes, and shops began to populate it, making it a place for tourists and artists.
Fun facts:
1. Throughout the years Piazza Navona became the stage for different movies:
- Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. 1964
- Catch-22. 1970
- Coins in the Fountain. 1990
- Angels and Demons. 2000
2. On September 3rd 2011, the Fontana del Moro was damaged by local with a hammer, decapitating several statuettes.
3. Other monuments and important buildings surrounding the piazza are:
- Stabilimenti Spagnoli
- Palazzo de Cupis
- Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti
- Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
- Palazzo Braschi (Museo di Roma)
- Sant’Agnese in Agone (The church, located at the edge of the piazza, was dedicated to Agnese, a young girl who was killed because she refused to marry a male.)
Michelle Chedraui 