PIAZZA NAVONA

Walk down the famous Piazza Navona in Rome, known as being a masterpiece of Baroque architecture and home to hundreds of shops, eateries, and restaurants today. The historical spot is popular among tourists for its three beautiful fountains, an ancient church, street performers, local artists, and much more. Created by famous Roman masters, Borromini and Bernini, the piazza is a great place for history enthusiasts. 

Piazza Navona is one of Rome's largest and most beautiful piazza squares. This square is decorated with three lavish fountains, la Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro, and Fontana di Nettuno; churches, palaces of Roman architecture, and artworks, which make it one of the most attractive places for tourists.

The street artists, painters, and musicians of the area add a lively atmosphere to the square that makes the place more attractive to visitors. The piazza is constructed on an ancient stadium of Rome, the Stadium of Domitian - where different athletic contests, sports, and festivals were performed and people used to gather there to enjoy those events.

In the last years of the 15th century, the place was declared a public space, and Novena Square was constructed. The square is oval-shaped and that’s because of the original shape of the stadium. Along with the luxurious architectural delights and history of the place, the square attracts people from different parts of the world to experience scenic beauty and artwork. 

Many visitors also come to experience a pleasant hang out in a decorated piazza with tasty drinks or meals from the many restaurants that line the piazza and enjoy the shopping in the nearby city market.

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Highlights

• Explore the historically rich Piazza Navona known for its rich Baroque architecture that were primarily the creations of world famous artists Borromini and Bernini
• Wallow in the festive atmosphere of the piazza with its street cafes and open air performances by singers, dancers, gymnasts, magicians, and musicians
• Witness the three spectacular fountains located at the center of the square- Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro, and Fontana di Nettuno
• Enjoy looking at the wonderful paintings kept on display by local artists and pick a few of them to take back home 
• Enjoy scrumptious street food cooked fresh at one of the several stalls or sit in the comforts of an elegant restaurant and enjoy a gourmet meal
• Indulge in shopping at some of the high-end couture stores or enjoy looking at the rich architecture of the church Sant’Agnese in Agone
• Visit the excavations of the original Stadio di Domiziano, which is located about 5 meters below street level and can be explored from the Piazza Navona

How To Reach

There are three different ways to reach the Piazza Navona from the nearest Airport Ciampino, such as bus, train, and taxi. 

By Train:

The train is the cheapest way to reach the closest location of the Piazza; the train ticket costs about 1.5€ for a one-way. 

By Bus:

If you like to take a bus ride, the buses are departing every 30 minutes for the bus terminal and it costs 7.90€. Some of the transport companies also offer hop-on-hop-off bus tickets to the piazza and that actually stops the visitor just one block away from the plaza. 

By Taxi:

If you want to avoid these public transports, you can also go for the quickest route with a Ciampino airport taxi which costs around 44€. Generally, a flat rate for a taxi is fixed by the city for all passengers in the vehicle and their bags and the taxi directly stops at the center. It is illegal for drivers to charge more than the fixed fare.

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Best Time To Visit

Every season has its own beauty in Piazza Navona; this place is welcoming the tourists throughout the year with some special attraction. However the best time to visit this excellent piazza is during springtime which means mid of March to May and again in autumn, which means mid September to November to offer perfect weather to the visitors.

Along with the comfortable weather for exploration, these months also have comparatively thin crowds, allowing visitors to enjoy the sightseeing much more comfortably. Though for a budget trip to this Piazza, winter is the ideal option to visit Rome.

As the piazza is enriched with historic spots, excellent fountains, and architecture, early morning and evening after just sunset can be the best time to visit the place. During these periods, the crowd remains comparatively less and you can have sufficient room to get a good look at everything. Therefore, hours between morning 7 am – 10 am and evening between 5 pm – 8 pm is considered good time to visit the piazza.

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Other Essential Information

Location:

Piazza Navona, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Distance from Nearest Airport:

The nearest airport to Piazza Navona is Rome Ciampino (CIA) Airport. which is 15 km away from the Piazza. Another connecting airport close to the Piazza is Rome Airport (FCO). The distance between Rome Airport (FCO) and Piazza Navona is about 22 km. By road, you need to travel about 30.7 km to reach Piazza from FCO.

Timing:

Though the Piazza is always open for the visitors, early morning and evening is a good time to visit the piazza to avoid overcrowding. To enjoy the Piazza most, consider arriving between the opening hours of 7 am – 10 am or can even come between 5 pm – 8 pm.

Entry Fee:

There is no entry fee to visit Piazza Navona; this is open to all and requires no ticket.

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History of Piazza Navona

Before the 15th century, at the place of Piazza Navona, there was an open space of stadium, “Stadium of Domitian” built in the 1st century AD. In the last years of the fifteenth century, the stadium was transformed into the Navona square using Baroque Roman architecture and art under the supervision of Pope Innocent X and family.

The remnants of the ancient stadium are still present in different parts of the piazza. From 1652 to 1866, the piazza was a great cultural site hosting theatrical events and other entertaining activities. In the middle of the 19th century, the pavement level of the Piazza was raised.

Then a Christmas market used to be held in the piazza square. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, three lavish fountains were built up in different directions of Piazza. The fountains were modified in different periods of history and till date attracting visitors from different corners of the world.

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What makes Piazza Navona Famous

Piazza Navona is quite popular for its luxurious scenic beauty and that makes it interesting to the movie makers to exhibit in their films. The piazza is featured in a number of movies; some of the notable instances are 

- Dan Brown's thriller movie “Angels & Demons”, in which the Fountain of Four Rivers is exhibited as one of the Altars of Science. Apart from the fountain, the southern section of the piazza has featured in several scenes of the film. 

- The fountain of four rivers was also in the film Coins in the Fountain released in 1990. Here the characters of the movie threw coins into the fountain to make a wish. 

- The square is also featured in National Lampoon's European Vacation, released in 1985.

- In Italian comedy film Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, the actress Sophia Loren’s character stays in a second-floor apartment and from there she was observing the Piazza Navona in Rome.

- The piazza was also featured in Once Upon A Crime, a film by Eugene Levy.

Some of the literature also has been plotted several scenes in the piazza, such as Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22.

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Architecture of Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is an excellent creation of genius Bernini and Borromini; this is one of the best Masterpieces of 17th-century Baroque architecture in Rome. The whole Piazza exhibits a well-planned harmony of construction and colors.

The architects have enhanced its elegance by the surprising contrast of visually classy houses alternating with a number of monumental Buildings along with proper placement of architecturally sober fountains. As this famous piazza of Rome is constructed on an ancient stadium, it has been constructed in monumental style by the Pope Innocent X and decedents (Pamphili).

The piazza is evidence of the Roman architectural style practiced in the 17th century. Different architects have contributed to the development of the square; the design of Sant' Agnese church was of Francesco Borromini, Girolamo Rainaldi, Carlo Rainaldi, and others.

The Fountain of the Moor was designed by Giacomo Della Porta and four rivers fountain was created by Bernini in early 1650 that enhances the beauty of the square. The northern end of the square is decorated with the Fountain of Neptune created in 1574 and this was also designed by Giacomo Della Porta.

The statue of Neptune was added years after the actual creation of the fountain; the statue was created by Antonio Della Bitta and added in 1878 to create symmetry with La Fontana del Moro.

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Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone

The Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone is one of the main tourist attractions in Piazza Navona. The Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone sits on the Piazza as a memorial of Sant'Agnese, the virgin saint, who was forced to expose herself before her death.

The skull of the saint is housed inside the church in an altar and her body is buried at Sant'Agnese Fuori Le Mura. This church is constructed following a special form of architecture known as the 17th-century Baroque style. The construction of the church started in 1652 and the architects of this fabulous construction were Girolamo Rainaldi and his son Carlo Rainaldi.

It took a long time to finish and it was completed under the leadership of Francesco Borromini. The interior of the church is decorated with exclusive paintings, frescoes, large-scale sculptures, and so on. It has special significance to the believer of Christianity as it contains the skull of Saint Agnese preserved inside an altar.

The church also contains many other martyrdom of saints, such as Martyrdom of Saint Eustace by Melchiorre Cafà, Martyrdom of Saint Emerentiana by Ercole Ferrata, Death of Saint Cecilia by Antonio Raggi, and so on.

Apart from religious services, the church is engaged in arranging regular classical concerts in the Borromini Sacristy, where one can experience a wide range of art forms including sacred Baroque works to chamber music and operas.

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Attractions near Piazza Navona 

1. The Pantheon

This is a former Roman temple that is now converted into a Catholic church (Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs). This is one of the popular historic sites of Rome, built around 126-128 A.D. The site is also an important burial place of the painters Raphael and Annibale Carracci, and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi.

2. Campo de’ Fiori

This is a rectangular-shaped piazza located in the southward direction of Piazza Navona. This square is a popular market place to do some shopping in Rome.

3. Castel Sant’Angelo

One of the popular historic buildings of Rome, used as a military installation center as well as an escape route for the pope in case of danger.

4. The Mausoleum of Augustus

This is a historic tomb built in 28 BC during the ruling period of Roman Emperor Augustus. In the initial starting years of the 20th century, the interior of the Mausoleum of Augustus was a place to be used as a concert hall called the “Augusteo”. Later in 1930s, the hall was closed by Mussolini and reopened after the restoration as an archaeological site.  

5. The Trevi Fountain

This fountain is placed close to the square, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and Giuseppe Pannini. This is the largest fountain in Rome and also one of the most famous fountains. The fountain is about 85 feet tall in height and 65 feet wide. The fountain was established between 1600 to 1750 and is famous as an excellent instance of Baroque art in Italy.

6. The Spanish Steps

This is a set of steps to climb the steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità dei Monti. Trinità dei Monti and Obelisco Sallustiano are situated on the top of the Spanish steps. John Keats Museum is located at the right corner and at the bottom you can find a 17th century Fountain, Fontana della Barcaccia. At the foot of the Steps, you can also have a number of small boutique designer shops and a wide range of restaurants and bars.

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