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
This text is provided by Wikipedia.
| Distance |
On Foot
Full distance: 2.3 km
Length of Route: 00h 33 |
METRO
Length of Route: 00h 31
Number of Changes: 0
Walk distance: 1 km |
Car
Full distance: 3.6 km
Length of Route: 00h 05 |
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