The Piazza Navona

The Piazza Navona, or "Circo Agonale" is the most famous square of the Baroque Rome. A ancient wonder of light and sculpture, the square has three magnificent fountains, an old church and is constructed on the remains of the Circus Domitianus, Domitian's stadium. Starting with the reign of Domitian, the place was used only for sport events, including the well-known August regatta.

Fountain of the Four Rivers, one of Piazza Navona's attractions was built in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. A popular tourist attractions is the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, built by Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi. Commissioned in 1652 by Pope Innocent X, the church was finished in 1670 and is now visited by milion of tourists daily. It is said that here Agnese was exposed naked, but miraculously covered by the prodigious growth of her hair.  The two fountains of the square were sculpted by Giacomo della Porta — the Fontana di Nettuno (1574), found in the northern area and the Fontana del Moro (1576), in the southern area of the piazza.

The central and most popular of the three fountains is he Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers). It was constructed between 1647 and 1651, on the request of Pope Innocent X. The fountain depicts four rivers of four continents, the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio della Plata. The square is a very active place, with many cafes open, while in the summer, artists draw and pain in the square for a small fee.