Explore the Baroque Splendor of Piazza Navona, Rome

Every year, Piazza Navone’s fountains bring in a lot of people who want to see the most beautiful baroque square in Rome.

Piazza Navona is the most beautiful and important Baroque square in Rome. It was built on the site of Domitian’s old stadium and is a must-see for anyone visiting the city. It has a unique, long shape that comes from its history, just like the name of the square.

Since the Middle Ages, a number of small houses have grown up where the stadium’s terraces used to be. However, the central track, where the real gymnastics competitions took place, has always been left empty and is now used as a market and place to exchange goods.

What we admire now is clearly the result of many changes and additions made over time. During the Baroque era, when the square became the “living room” of the wealthy Pamphilj family, this was the most important change.

But let’s go in order. In 86 AD, Emperor Domitian decided to have a stadium built in the Campo Marzio area for Greek athletic competitions.

The word “Navona” comes from a mistranslation of the word that was used to describe these games. People with bad reputations often hung out in the arcades of the stadium, which had shops and inns. The same was true of the many brothels in this area.

At the beginning of the 4th century, the story of Sant’Agnese, a rich Roman girl who became a Christian and was killed by the emperor Diocletian’s persecutions, was put into this very degraded setting. A story says that a group of Roman soldiers beat and raped the young woman right in one of the arches of the stadium.

But as soon as the soldiers took her clothes off, her hair grew back, covering her whole body and keeping them from hurting her. Even though there was a miracle, the girl was still killed by having her head cut off. Right where the miracle happened, a small chapel was built, which later grew into the huge Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone.

So, the square has the same shape as the old stadium, which you can still see in part in the new Archaeological Museum. As was already said, it was immediately chosen as a place to do business. In fact, Campo de’ Fiori is the name of the famous market that used to be on the Campidoglio but has been moved here.

But Piazza Navona’s elegant and baroque look is all because of the Pamphilij family. They had a lot of power in the city in the 17th century and even gave the church a pontiff.

Pope Innocent X Pamphilij and his smart and greedy sister-in-law, Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, also known as Pimpaccia, will hire the best artists of the time to build not only her own magnificent family palace, which is now home to the Brazilian Embassy, but also the new Church of Sant’Agnese and two of the three fountains that are still there today: the Fontana del Moro and the superb Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi.

The third piece, called the Fountain of Neptune, was made in the 1800s to make the whole place look architectural and symmetrical.

Girolamo Rainaldi, an architect, made Palazzo Pamphili by combining and changing two Renaissance homes. Also, the Church of Sant’Agnese, which became a private family chapel, was first remodeled by Rainaldi.

He was then replaced by Francesco Borromini, who made the unusual concave facade, which allows a constant conversation with the air around it and is a sign of the genius of the artist. Carlo Rainaldi, the son of Girolamo, finished the building.

Donna Olimpia wanted to make her home look better, so she asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to make two beautiful fountains out of the fountains and troughs that were already in the square.

Legend has it that the master used a clever and unusual plan to defeat his rival Borromini on the construction site. In fact, it seems that, knowing that his wealthy client was greedy, he decided one day to send her a silver model of the future Fountain of the Four Rivers that was over a meter tall.

When Pimpaccia saw this jewel, she couldn’t help but ask the pope to help her new student. So, it was made in 1648. It is a true masterpiece of hydraulic engineering, architecture, and sculpture, and the many decorations have deep religious and symbolic meanings.

The Nile, the Ganges, the Danube, and the Rio della Plata are all shown in the classical model as big, imposing giants. The four continents that were known at the time are represented by these four rivers. They are also shown with plants and animals from our world, as well as animals like sea dragons that don’t exist in our world.

The tank and the structure that holds it up look like a background and a seascape. The large obelisk of Domitian is in the middle, and a bronze dove, which is a symbol of the Pamphilij family, is on top of it. This dove, which is lit from above by divine grace, shines light on the whole fountain and, by extension, on the whole world.

This fountain is one of the most famous in the world because there are so many legends and funny stories about it. Even the Fontana del Moro, which gets its name from the man with a beard in the middle and is much simpler than the last one, is signed by Bernini.

You should also remember the beautiful and mysterious Palazzo De Cupis and the Church of the Sacred Heart of Mary, which was once the National Church of the Spaniards and is dedicated to the apostle James.

Since there is a lot of water here, the famous “lake” of Piazza Navona has grown over the years.

Since there isn’t a big sidewalk in the middle, which was only built recently, the square is in the shape of a basin, which lets it be turned into a real outdoor swimming pool on hot summer days.

Rich and poor, young and old, came here to cool off. Some nobles seem to compete each year to turn their carriage into the most beautiful and scenic boat.

That’s not all, though.

The square has also been the center of another important holiday, the Epiphany, for a long time. This holiday may be the one that mixes Christian beliefs with pagan memories the most.

During Christmas and up until January 6, one of the best Christmas markets in Rome is held here. It ends with the traditional flight of the nice old lady, who brings sweets and treats to all the good people in the city.