Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona(pronounced[ˈpjattsanaˈvoːna]) is apublic open spaceinRome,Italy.It is built on the site of the 1st century ADStadium of Domitianand follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval.Theancient Romanswent there to watch theagones( "games" ), and hence it was known as "Circus Agonalis"(" competition arena "). It is believed that over time the name changed toin avonetonavoneand eventually tonavona.

Piazza Navona
City square
View from the south
Location	Rome,Italy
Click on the map for a fullscreen view
Coordinates:41°53′56″N12°28′23″E

In the 17th century it became a showcase for Baroque design, with work byBerniniandBorrominiamong others. TheFountain Of Four Riversstands in front of the Church ofSant'Agnese in Agone.

History

Fountain of the Four Rivers

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

Fontana del Moro, on the southern end

The space currently occupied by the Piazza Navona was originally the Stadium of Domitian, built by EmperorTitus Flavius Domitianusin 80 AD. Following theFall of the Western Roman Empire,the stadium fell into ruin, being quarried for building materials. There are just a few remains of that today.

Defined as a public space in the last years of 15th century, when the city market was transferred there from theCampidoglio,Piazza Navona was transformed into a highly significant example ofBaroqueRoman architecture and art during the pontificate ofInnocent X,who reigned from 1644 until 1655, and whose family palace, thePalazzo Pamphili,faced the piazza. It features important sculptural creations: in the centre stands the famousFontana dei Quattro Fiumior Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) byGian Lorenzo Bernini,topped by the Obelisk of Domitian, brought in pieces from theCircus of Maxentius;the church ofSant'Agnese in AgonebyFrancesco Borromini,Girolamo Rainaldi,Carlo Rainaldiand others; and the aforementionedPamphili palace,also by Girolamo Rainaldi, that accommodates the long gallery designed by Borromini and frescoed byPietro da Cortona.

Piazza Navona Flooded byAntonio Joli.Circa 1760

Piazza Navona has two other fountains. At the southern end is theFontana del Morowith a basin and four Tritons sculpted byGiacomo della Porta(1575) to which, in 1673, Bernini added a statue of aMoor,wrestling with a dolphin. At the northern end is theFountain of Neptune(1574) also created by Giacomo della Porta; the statue of Neptune, by Antonio Della Bitta, was added in 1878 to create a balance withLa Fontana del Moro.

During its history, the piazza has hosted theatrical events and other ephemeral activities. From 1652 until 1866, when the festival was suppressed, it was flooded on every Saturday and Sunday in August in elaborate celebrations of thePamphilifamily. The pavement level was raised in the 19th century, and in 1869 the market was moved to the nearbyCampo de' Fiori.A Christmas market is held in the piazza square each year from the first week of December until the first week of January.

Piazza Navona byPaolo Salvati,1962

Lieven Cruyl,the Piazza Navona during the Baroque

Other monuments

• Stabilimenti Spagnoli
• Palazzo de Cupis
• Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti
• Church ofNostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
• Palazzo Braschi (Museo di Roma)
• Sant'Agnese in Agone

In popular media

• The piazza is featured inDan Brown's 2000 thrillerAngels & Demons,in which theFontana dei Quattro Fiumiis listed as one of the Altars of Science. During June 2008,Ron Howarddirected several scenes of thefilm adaptationofAngels & Demonson the southern section of the piazza.
• The piazza is featured in several scenes of directorMike Nichols' 1970 adaptation ofJoseph Heller's novel,Catch-22.
• The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was used in the 1990 filmCoins in the Fountain.The characters threw coins into the fountain as they made wishes. TheTrevi Fountainwas used in the1954 versionof the film.
• It is featured inNational Lampoon's European Vacation
• In the 1964 Italian comedy filmYesterday, Today and Tomorrow( "ieri, oggi, domani")Sophia Loren's character Mara lives in a second-floor apartment overlooking Piazza Navona in Rome.
• The piazza is featured in Eugene Levy's film,Once Upon A Crime.
• The piazza is featured in the 2017 filmAmerican Assassin.
• The piazza is featured in scenes in the 1999 filmThe Talented Mr. Ripley.
• The piazza is featured in the Rome Avanti course inMario Kart Tour,which was latter released inMario Kart 8 Deluxeas part of theBooster Course Pass.

Vandalism

In the early hours of 3 September 2011, theFontana del Morowas damaged by a vandal. Police later found the man, who had been captured on security cameras climbing in the fountain, wielding a large rock and decapitating some of the larger and smaller figures, after they recognised him by his shoes.

See also

• Obeliscus Pamphilius
• List of tourist attractions in Rome

Notes

View of Piazza NavonabyHendrik Frans van Lint,c. 1730

References

• Norwich, John Julius,ed. (1988).The World Atlas of Architecture.New York: Portland House. p. 302.ISBN0-517-66875-0.
• Rendina, Claudio, ed. (2003).La Grande Enciclopedia di Roma(in Italian) (2nd ed.). Rome: Newton & Compton.ISBN88-8289-316-2.
• Roth, Leland M.(1993).Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning.Boulder, CO: Westview Press. p.233.ISBN0-06-430158-3.

External links

• "Bird's eye view of Piazza Navona".Live Search Maps.
• Virtual Tour of Piazza Navona
• Bernini Fountains Video Introduction
• High-resolution 360° Panoramas and Images ofPiazza Navona | Art Atlas
• Piazza Navona audio guide,
• Piazza Navonatravel guide from Wikivoyage
• Media related toPiazza Navonaat Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by Piazza Farnese

Landmarks of Rome Piazza Navona

Succeeded by Piazza di Spagna