Located a short walk from the Capitoline Museums (some 200 meters northeast of the museums), Piazza Navona is best known as one of the most impeccable examples of Baroque architectural complexes in Rome. This public square was built on top of the non-extant Stadium of Domitian, closely following its outline. While the area now filled by Piazza Navona was first declared a public space in the 15th century, it was no sooner than the mid 17th century that the square assumed its present monumentality. Indeed, under Pope Innocent X, massive construction works were initiated, culminating in the erection of several fountains, palaces and churches, all blending in into a balanced and overpowering Baroque composition, which is precisely where the uniqueness and the excellence of this piazza lies. It is to the artistic and engineering excellence of architects and sculptors like Bernini, Giacomo della Porta, Girolamo Rainaldi and Pietro da Cortona that the square owes much of its patrimony.

At present, Piazza Navona is one of the most visited and much photographed piazzas in Rome, which is, in fact, not surprising at all. One can easily understand its tourist appeal only by visiting it and admiring its sights, in particular in winter (in December, more precisely), when the much awaited Christmas in Piazza Navona is set up to the delight of locals and visitors in search of seasonal shopping and entertainment opportunities. One of the streets which cross Piazza Navona, namely, Via dei Coronari, is ideal for tourists in search of rare exquisite antiques, since the street is lined with tens of shops which sell such items.

Fountains in Piazza Navona: Fontana del Moro, Fontana del Nettuno, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

Palaces in Piazza Navona: Palazzo Pamphili, Palazzo Braschi (home to Museo di Roma), Palazzo de Cupis, Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti

Churches in Piazza Navona: Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone

Name:
Piazza Navona
Address:
Rome, Italy