Built
over the ruins of the Stadium of Domitian
(1st century BCE), the Piazza Navona is
one of the gems of Baroque Rome. It is
filled with open air cafes, and the place
is crowded each day. There are often buskers
and sometimes mimes to entertain the crowds.
A combination of light medium and sculptures,
the piazza is exceptionally long and owes
its shape to the ruins that formed its
base. Under the buildings that surround
Piazza Navona are the remains of the Circus,
and the circular edge of the open area
marks the track on which the horses used
to race.
The
Piazza has a beautiful church and three
stunning fountains. In the centre of the
piazza is Bernini's most spectacular fountain,
la Fontana dei Fiumi, erected in 1651.
It has a central rocky structure that
supports an obelisk that was an ancient
Roman imitation of the Egyptian form.
Around this structure are four giant statues/designs
representing the Nile, the Danube, the
Ganges, and the Rio della Plata. At the
northern end is the fontana di Nettuno,
with statues of Neptune and the Nereids.
Finally at the southern end is the fontana
del Moro which and features the statue
of a Moor fighting with a dolphin.
To the western side of the piazza stands
the church of Sant'Angese. Agnes was a
twelve-year-old Christian who refused
to marry a pagan and was then martyred.
The church was commissioned by Pope Innocent
X in 1652, and was made to commemorate
her martyrdom.
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