Piazza Navona quarter

Visit also: the neighborhood: Vicolo della Campanella, Via Coronari, Piazza dell'Orologio, Piazza San Salvatore al Lauro.

The Piazza Navona square was built exactly on the area of emperor Domitian's stadium (81-96 AD), and retains the stadium's oblong shape with a rounded north end. It was the largest in ancient Rome, larger than the Coliseum, and could seat 50,000 spectators.
The name of the stadium was "Circus Agonalis" (competition arena), which became corrupted to "n'Agona", and eventually "Navona". Thanks to hydraulic engineering, naval battles engaging up to 3,000 antagonists were performed (they were called "naumachiae").
The stadium later became a baroque jewel, with masterpieces of Bernini (the Fountain of the Four Rivers and the Fountain of the Moor), Calderari (the Fountain of Neptune) and Borromini (the Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone).

Ruins of the ancient stadium can still be seen under the palaces (please see the bottom photo). Today the Piazza strikes visitors for its harmony and colours, combined with its elegance and charm. Varied people stroll or attend the piazza. One can find tourists, intellectuals, kids playing, freaks and elegant "signori, painters and artists selling their works right in the square.

The kaleidoscopic, lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere blending history, art, and love for life, i.e. the peculiar Roman character, reaches possibly its highest level, making the Eternal City such a magical place.

APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN THIS AREA

"BRAMANTE": a charming, quaint, large one bedroom apt. with sitting /dining room and 2 lofts obtained from a little church. Up to 4 persons

"ROMAN ROOFS" : a one bedroom top floor apt. with ample sitting-dining room, patio and panoramic terrace overlooking old Rome's roofs and sights.

"MARCO POLO", a one bedroom, sitting room attic with large roof garden with spectacular views of all Rome (2-3 persons). Elevator

"CARAVAGGIO", an elegant designer one bedroom apartment, tastefully and skillfully prepared and remarkably equipped (up to 4 persons).

"BOTTICELLI": elegant 2 double bedroom, sitting room, dining room 2 bathroom apt., with patio and fireplace (4-5 persons). Elevator. POSSIBLY RENTED WITH THE ADJOINING "CARAVAGGIO" (together they form a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom apt.)

"ROMAN VISTA": an elegant 3 bedroom 3 bathroom penthouse, with sitting room and separate dining room, with panoramic views of old Rome, in an elegant historical palace facing the famous Tortoise fountain. Daily cleaning. Elevator.

"ROME DOMES": Fine 2 bedrooms 2 bathr. attic, with sitting room, dining room, large open plan kitchen, with 2 utmost panoramic terraces with views of Rome's domes, in an elegant historical palace facing the famous Tortoise fountain. Daily cleaning (4-5 persons). Elevator.

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Piazza Navona has been for long used as a place for meeting and processions. During daytime life seems to be revolving around the open-air cafes, and around the artists' stands (you can have your caricature or painting at a modest cost). Like all Rome's squares and streets, the piazza changes aspect at night, when the atmosphere becomes imaginative, people seem to be mesmerized, and enjoying themselves more than daytime.

In December, until Epiphany, a season market is held. Traditionally, parents come here to buy toys for their children.

Of the 3 fountains of the Piazza, fed by the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, the most renowned is the "Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi" (Fountain of Four Rivers - 1651 AD), by a mature Bernini, following the decision of Pope Innocent X.

An obelisk from the Circus Maxentius was erected over a rocky grotto, from which a lion and a horse emerge.

Piazza Navona


The obelisk appears to be resting on an open cavity. The large figures represent the main rivers of the four continents known at that time: the Danube, the River Plate, the Ganges, and the Nile (with a veiled head to indicate that its source was still unknown at that time). The church of Sant'Agnese in Agone (1652 - 1670) according to tradition, stands on the site of prostitution where St. Agnes, stripped naked, was saved by dishonour by the miraculous growth of hair. Many architects worked on it (Rainaldi, who gave it the Greek cross design, Borromini, Bernini, Pietro da Cortona), although the concave facade, the dome, and the two belfries all having dynamic unity are primarily the work of Borromini.

The Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone,
and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Close-up of the fountain.


Of all the many buildings in the piazza, noteworthy are the Palazzo Pamphilj, at the left side of St. Agnes (please see the first photo), by Rainaldi, with frescos by Piero da Cortona, the church Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church), facing the Palazzo Pamphili, dates from the period of Alexander VI (1492-1503). It was called San Giacomo degli Spagnoli and it was Spain's national church in Rome. Also Palazzo Braschi, in the southwest corner, should be mentioned. Begun in 1792 by C. Morelli for the nephews of Pius VI, in was sold to the State, and presently it hosts the Museo di Roma, with sculptures, paintings, drawings, prints illustrating the history of Rome from the Middle Ages. The collection includes works by Canova, and views of Rome by Ippolito Caffi.

The elegant facade of the church of Santa Maria della Pace dominates the adjacent Piazza della Pace, towards the west of the northern end. The first reconstruction of this sanctuary was undertaken by B. Pontelli at the behest of Sixtus IV, in 1482. The pope chose the name "della Pace" to anticipate the peace he hoped to restore in Italy. In the 17th century, under Alexander VII, the church was rebuilt again by Pietro da Cortona. A series of Corinthian columns give rhythm to the upper part, beneath it a circular portico supported by Doric columns projects into the piazza.

Santa Maria della Pace church

Inside, a short rectangular nave is followed by an octagonal central body, by Bramante. The first chapel on the right, the Chigi Chapel, contains Raphael's famous Sibyls fresco. To the left you find a passage to the sacristy and then to the cloister (1500-1504), still by Bramante, who determined the proportions to ensure remarkable effects of shade and light.

The belfry seen from one of the byways north of the square.

The street departing from the church, Via della Pace, has an "L" shape. In its first part there are two cafes, among the liveliest and trendy in Rome, especially at night. In the second part, towards the Piazza del Fico, there is a little morning market.

Via della Pace, morning market

Via della Pace, the Caffè della Pace

To the west of the southern end of the Piazza Navona is an ancient copy of a Hellenistic statue from Pergamon, part of a group representing Menelaus carrying the body of Patroclus, known as Pasquino (the piazza in front of it is the Piazza Pasquino). The statue is so warn out that when it was discovered some wanted to get rid of it. Bernini on the contrary like it. People have begun using it to present protests (called "Pasquinate", the famous "pasquinades"), or their point of views about things. They are hanged on the statue, which is one the talking statues of Rome. From Piazza Pasquino there departs westwards the Via del Governo Vecchio.

The Pasquino statue
At No. 39 is the Palazzo del Governo Vecchio (Old Government Palace), built between 1473 and 1477, which became the official residence of the Governor of Rome in 1624. It acquired its present name when the government was moved to Palazzo Madama by Pope Benedict XIV (mid-18th century). Following Via del Governo Vecchio one reaches westwards Piazza della Chiesa Nuova. The two adjacent facades overlooking the Piazza belong to Santa Maria in Valicella, known as the Chiesa Nuova ("New Church"), and the Oratorio dei Filippini (Oratory of St. Philip Neri). Gregory XIII gave the church to the St. Philip's Neri Oratorian Confederation, who commissioned its rebuilding in 1575.

Oratorio dei Filippini, and Santa Maria
in Valicella, the "Chiesa Nuova" ("New Church")

The reconstruction was entrusted first to Matteo da Citta' di Castello, and then to Martino Longhi the elder. The facade is by Paolo Rughesi, completed in 1605. The interior has rich baroque decorations. Caravaggio supplied the Descent from the Cross, later moved to the Vatican, and replaced with a copy (second chapel on the right). The choir has three masterpieces by the young Rubens. The splendid frescoes in the apse, the cupola and the nave were all painted by Pietro della Cortona (1650-1655).
The adjoining Oratory of the Filippini, by Borromini, contrasts with the more conventional facade of the Chiesa Nuova, and was built in bricks, in accordance with the wishes of the Oratorians. It is full of movements thanks to Borromini's use of curves. The entire compound is slightly concave, yet the central bay is convex at the ground floor, and is concave in the floor above. The windows are ornate.

Piazza Febo

As you walk back to the northern end of Piazza Navona, you find that it is surrounded by two elegant squares: the green Piazza Febo, and Piazza Cinque Lune (Five Moons Square). As you can see in the right photo, the palazzi surrounding the Piazza Navona are built on top of the "cavea", the stepped stone seating, designed to accommodate 50,000 spectators.

One of the entrances of the Domitian stadium,
which is beneath the palaces encircling the square.

You can visit the ancient Roman monuments beneath the Piazza Navona and Campo Marzio area. The entrance in Piazza Tor Sanguigna 13 (behind the palazzi of the northern part of Piazza Navona). There are guided tours in English on Saturday and Sunday between 10 AM until 1 PM, and on Tuesday and Saturday between 9 PM and 11 PM. The entrance fee is only 6 Euro appr. 8 US$. The tours are also in French, German, Spanish but on demand. Information and reservation: tel. 062412352 and 062413287.

 

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