The four rivers fountain by Bernini
Rome is fulfilled from beautiful piazzas and fountains, but one of the most important is Piazza Navona, built on the former Stadium of Domitian, built by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD, it’s oval shaped. The stadium back then was used for sporting events, its arena was bigger than the Colosseum one. The Roman ruins from the stadium are still visible in the church of Sant Agnese, which stands right in the middle of Piazza Navona, being one of the most famous baroque masterpieces of RomeIts name came from Agone, which was the original name, after the stadium “Circus Agonalis” , afterwards changed to Navone, and eventually to Navona. In the 15th Century the Stadium was paved over to build up a square, Navona square, with the Domitian’s stadium remains available.
The beautiful square has three baroque fountains in the middle, each representing a story. The central one Fountain of four rivers was designed by Bernini, request of pope Innocent X. It features four figures, each a river of different continents, the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata.
The other two fountains are the Fontana del Nettuno, Neptune Fountain at the northern end of the square. It was build in 1576 by Giacomo della Porta, the statues of Neptune are surrounded by sea nymphs .
The other is the Moor fountain at the southern end of square, also build by Giacomo della Porta, a Moor holding a delphine, designed by artist Bernini, it was added to the Moor statue in 17th century.
Piazza Navona is very lively place with many restaurants and stylish bars, from where you can enjoy the beauty of the square.
The Piazza Navona is a short distance from the M&J Place Hostel
