PIAZZA NAVONA

History
The Piazza Navona is one of the most famous squares of Rome - and for a reason. Its history goes back to Roman times when it was at the center of the so-called Campus Martius, the scene of military exercises and honour. Below the Piazza are the fundaments of the grand Stadium of the Emperor Domitian, which survives in the oval shape of the square. This stadium was built between 81 and 96 AD. On the north side of the square, some of the remains of the stadium can still be visited by guided tour. Centuries later, the square revived as the center of Roman baroque. Many of the buildings on the square and in the area are built during the times of pope Innocentius X Pamphili (1644-1655).

Right in the middle of the square is the gracious Fontana dei Fiumi, which was designed by Bernini and finished in 1651. The fountain represents four main rivers - the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile and the Plate, which on their turn represent the four continents Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The high costs of the fountain were collected by the pope through a heavily impopular tax on bread and groceries. De covered head of the Nile refers to the unknown origin of the largest African river. The other two fountains on the square are the Fontana di Nettuno and the Fontana del Moro.

On the west side of the square lies the church Sant'Agnese in Agone, which, according to the legend, was built on the site of the brothel where the young Agnes was martyred in the third century. At the age of 13, she was forced to undress as a challenge to her faith. A marble relief in the crypt shows how her hair miraculously grew to cover her nudity. The current church was built by Borromini and was finished in 1652. The statue of Agnes on the facade of the church is said to turn its head away from the Fontana dei Fiumi, demonstrating the rivalry between Borromini and Bernini - two of the greatest architects of baroque.