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Fountain of the four Rivers with Egyptian
obelisk, in the middle of
Piazza
NavonaPiazza Navona is a square in Rome,
Italy. The Piazza follows the plan of an
ancient Roman circus, the 1st Century Stadium
of Domitian, where the Romans came to watch
the agones ("games"): today's name stems
from the corruption of the latter in in
agone, then nagone and navone, which actually
means "big ship" in Italian.
Defined as a square in the last years of
15th century, when the city market was transferred
here from the Campidoglio, Piazza Navona
is now the pride of Baroque Rome. It has
sculptural and architectural creations:
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the famous Fontana
dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four
Rivers, 1651) in the center; by Francesco
Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi, the church
of Sant'Agnese in Agone; and by Pietro da
Cortona, who painted the gallery in the
Pamphilj palace.
The traditional market was moved in 1869
to Campo de' Fiori, but the square has also
a traditional role in housing theatrical
and costume shows, horse races, buffalo
jousts. Since 1652, on every August's Sunday
and Saturday, the square was turned into
a lake to celebrate the Pamphilj family
itself: youngsters and noble cabs played
running through the square while a band
played music. This feast was suppressed
in 1866.
Piazza Navona contains two additional fountains
sculpted by Giacomo della Porta — the Fontana
di Nettuno (1574), located at the northern
area of Piazza Navona, and the Fontana del
Moro (1576), located at the southern area
of the piazza.
Other monuments facing the square are:
Stabilimenti Spagnoli
Palazzo de Cupis
Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti
Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
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Distance
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On
foot |
Metro |
Car |
Full distance: 1 km
Length of Route: 00h 18 |
Length of Ride:00h 18
Walk Distance: 1 km
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Full distance: 3.0 km
Length of Drive: 00h 05
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