Admire the beautiful fountains and baroque buildings at Piazza Navona in Rome.
Famous square in Rome
Piazza Navona is one of the most popular squares in the "Eternal City". Once upon a time, Emperor Domitian had a stadium built on the site of today's square. Even today, the oval square occupies the dimensions of the stadium at that time, the buildings around the square are arranged on the former spectator tiers.
The square owes its appearance in particular to the "Fountain of the Four Streams", the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, created by Bernini, with the huge obelisk in the middle. In Bernini's time, four continents were known, whose rivers symbolize the gods of the fountain: The Danube, the Nile, the Ganges and the Rio de la Plata. Visitors can immediately tell which continent it is by the animals and plants associated with each river god.
Two other baroque fountains are located in Piazza Navona, the Fontana del Moro, which depicts the fight of a Moor with a dolphin, and the Neptune Fountain, dedicated to Neptune, the god of the sea, who is shown fighting with a sea serpent.
The surrounding baroque buildings are also well worth seeing. In the piazza is the Palazzo Pamphili, which now houses the Brazilian embassy. The church of Sant'Agnese in Agone is also located in the square.
The Piazza Navona always has an exuberant and cheerful atmosphere and a lively hustle and bustle. Many street artists show their tricks here. Especially in the evening, the numerous cafés around the popular piazza invite you to visit.
