Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona lies in the heart of Rome on the site of the 1st-century Stadium of Domitian. The elongated oval shape still follows the lines of the ancient stadium where Romans once watched games. After the fall of the empire the stadium was quarried for stone, leaving only fragments behind. In the late 15th century the square became a market place before Innocent X turned it into a grand Baroque stage. His family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faces the square and anchors the scene.

The piazza shows the work of Rome’s greatest Baroque artists. Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi stands at its centre, crowned by Domitian’s obelisk brought from the Circus of Maxentius. Borromini designed the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone on the square’s southern flank, while Giacomo della Porta created the two smaller fountains at each end. The Fontana del Moro and the Fountain of Neptune frame the space, their sculptures added over three centuries.

Visitors find a lively public square ringed by palaces and a church. Street performers play beside the fountains where water spouts from tritons and dolphins. In August the pavement can still be flooded for festivals, echoing the Pamphili celebrations of the 17th century. Christmas stalls appear each December, turning the square into a seasonal market. The surrounding buildings house cafés whose tables spill onto the pavement, offering views of the fountains and the changing light.