Piazza Navona

Situated in the historic heart of the city, near the Pantheon, Piazza Navona is one of Rome’s best-known squares and the largest. Piazza Navona is a must!

Getting there: In the heart of Rome, it is best reached on foot or by bus; many bus lines run along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II (40, 46, 62, 63, 64, 70…)

Address: Piazza Navona

Ticket prices: free

Built on the site of Domitian’s former Roman stadium (AD 81–96), it follows the shape of the track.

Long left abandoned, before becoming a market, it was Pope Innocent X who commissioned the renovation of the square around 1650.

He commissioned Bernini to create the Fountain of the Four Rivers to adorn the centre of Piazza Navona. Likewise the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone was rebuilt and its orientation reversed so that the façade (by Borromini) faces Piazza Navona.

The family palace bordering the square was also rebuilt.

The monumental fountain that adorns the centre of the square is the work of Bernini.

It is dedicated to four rivers, represented by statues that symbolise the four continents: the Danube for Europe, the Nile for Africa, the Río de la Plata for America and the Ganges for Asia.

The whole is topped by an obelisk from the Circus of Maxentius. The hieroglyphs recount Domitian’s seizure of power.

The summit is adorned with a dove holding an olive branch, an element from the coat of arms of Innocent X.

Two other fountains stand at the ends of the square, the Fountain of the Moor and the Fountain of Neptune.

This very lively square is lined with terraces where it is pleasant to sit for a meal or a coffee. Even so, given the prohibitive prices, it is sometimes better to move a few streets away…

You can also treat yourself to the speciality of the Tre Scalini ice-cream parlour, the tartufo: a chocolate ice cream with a cherry heart, surrounded by pieces of dark chocolate and covered with whipped cream!