In the heart of Campo Marzio, a historic area in Rome once dedicated to Mars, the god of war, and used for military drills, you will find one of the most iconic squares in the city: Piazza Navona. The ancient Stadium of Domitian gives the square its unique shape, which you can still see in the surrounding buildings. Romans originally built the square for athletic competitions in honor of Jupiter. Every year, the square becomes one of Rome’s most famous Christmas markets. Pope Sixtus IV started this tradition in 1477 when he moved the market here from the Campidoglio area.
Capitoline recreational place since the Middle Ages
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Abbey of Farfa, a Benedictine monastery, took control of the area around Piazza Navona in the 10th and 11th centuries. By the 13th century, the Capitoline Chamber, part of the Papal State, managed it. The area attracted people for entertainment, including jousts and carnival games, until the late Renaissance. The popes requested one of the most unique events here, the water games. In August, officials purposely flooded the square for a few days, transforming it into a playground for aquatic games. The shape of the square allowed this by blocking the drains. This event resembled the ancient Roman naumachia, or staged naval battles, which people once believed occurred in the Stadium of Domitian.

Piazza Navona: the symbol of Baroque in Rome
Piazza Navona in Rome ranks among the most charming spots in Italy and truly earns its reputation as a top attraction. Iconic works like the Fountain of the Four Rivers and the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone showcase architecture that has left a lasting mark on history. The construction of most monuments around the square in the 16th and 17th centuries gives the area a unified look. It immerses you in the heart of Baroque Rome.
Before exploring the architectural highlights, it’s important to note that by the mid-15th century, Piazza Navona had already become a central part of daily Roman life. Officials relocated the local market here from Piazza del Mercato (now Piazza dell’Ara Coeli), transforming Piazza Navona into a vibrant and lively space where people gathered to shop, socialize, and enjoy the bustling atmosphere.
The Transformation
The transformation of Piazza Navona in Rome into the stunning square we know today started in the mid-1500s. Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni ordered the construction of several fountains and drinking troughs. In 1575, Giacomo della Porta designed the multi-lobed basins for the Fontana del Moro and the Fontana di Nettuno. Over the years, different people have restored both fountains. They have also made several alterations.
Del Moro Fountain
In 1653, Pope Innocent X Pamphili hired Gian Lorenzo Bernini to restore the Fontana del Moro after recently building his palace on the square. Bernini kept the masks, dolphins, and tritons around the edges. He replaced the central sculpture with a new statue of a triton holding a dolphin by the tail. Giannantonio Mari created this statue. It gave the fountain its name because it resembled a Moor. Bernini also added a second marble basin around the original one.

The Fountain of Neptune
They similarly renovated the Fountain of Neptune, initially known as the “Fountain of the Boilers” because of the many copper craftsmen nearby. In 1873, Antonio della Bitta sculpted a new centerpiece featuring Neptune battling an octopus. Antonio Zappalà designed the surrounding sea horses, sirens, sea creatures, and putti.

The fountain of Four Rivers
Innocent X commissioned the Fountain of the Four Rivers, making it the centerpiece of Piazza Navona, to replace a simple horse trough. He first gave the project to Borromini but later entrusted it to Bernini after being impressed by a silver model that Bernini presented. The fountain displays a large travertine rock adorned with grand sculptures representing the four great rivers of the known world.
Giacomo Antonio Fancelli sculpted the Nile
Claude Poussin created the Ganges
Antonio Raggi worked on the Danube
Francesco Baratta shaped the Rio de la Plata.

Each figure carries symbolic details:
The Danube – bears a Pamphili family coat of arms, symbolizing the pope’s religious authority.
The Nile – has its face veiled to signify the mystery of its source, which remained unknown at the time.
The Rio de la Plata – holds a sack of coins, representing the silvery color of its waters.
The Ganges – grasps an oar, symbolizing the river’s navigability.
Agonal Obelisk
Emperor Domitian originally placed the Agonal Obelisk between the Temple of Serapis and the Temple of Isis in Egypt. After it was moved to the Circus of Maxentius on the Appian Way, Pope Innocent XIII decided to relocate the obelisk to Piazza Navona. It now stands proudly atop the Fountain of the Four Rivers, adding to the fountain’s grandeur.

The buildings
The buildings around Piazza Navona in Rome have their own fascinating history.
Palazzo Tuccimei
The Palazzo Tuccimei takes its name from the descendants of Federico Tutijmei (Federico Tuccio di Meo), who fought alongside Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in Italy. You can find this ochre-colored palace on the left side of Piazza Navona when approaching from Piazza delle Cinque Lune. Builders created it by merging several houses that Cardinal De Cupis originally purchased in 1462. The Tuccimei family bought the palace in 1817 and added a coat of arms above the main door. The facade has three floors, each with twelve windows. On Via dei Lorenesi, you can still admire some 15th-century elements, including simple framed windows and two small balconies.
Palazzo De Torres
The Torres family built Palazzo De Torres in 1560 on Via della Cuccagna, across from Palazzo Braschi. The family, which included an interpreter from Christopher Columbus’s first voyage, commissioned the famous architect Pirro Ligorio to design it. The palace, a late Renaissance structure, has an irregular layout with a four-story facade. The facade includes an arched portal adorned with intricate details like lion heads, rosettes, and towers, all symbols of the Torres family. Later, the Lancellotti family inherited the palace and still owns it today.
Palazzo Pamphilj
Girolamo Rainaldi built Palazzo Pamphilj in 1647 for Pope Innocent X, making it the highlight of Piazza Navona. The exterior features a central section marked by pilasters and arches, with windows alternating between arched and triangular pediments. On the second floor, you can see the Pamphilj coat of arms, which displays three lilies and a dove holding an olive branch. Well-known artists, including Pietro da Cortona and Andrea Camassei, decorated the interior of the palace.

Palazzo Braschi
Palazzo Braschi, the last central palace built in Piazza Navona, dates back to the 18th century. The site was previously occupied by Palazzo Orsini, constructed in 1435 by Rome’s prefect, Francesco Orsini. Over time, Cardinal Carafa and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger expanded Palazzo Orsini, even adding a tower at the corner of Piazza Navona and Via della Cuccagna. In 1791, Pope Pius VI ordered its demolition to make way for Palazzo Braschi, which he gifted to his nephew, Luigi Braschi Onesti. Architect Cosimo Morelli designed the palace, but the French Revolution delayed its completion until 1804. In 1871, the Italian State purchased the building and used it as the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior. After World War II, it was converted into the Museum of Rome. The Capitoline Administration assumed ownership in 1990, and the palace reopened to the public in 2002. In 2017, a new exhibition was launched, offering visitors a thematic journey through the palace’s second and third floors.
Sant’Agnese in Agone at Piazza Navona
The Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone is one of the final projects that helped make Piazza Navona in Rome so iconic. According to an old legend, Saint Agnes was martyred near the Stadium of Domitian, which led to the dedication of this grand church in her honor. Initially, planners intended it to be a chapel for Palazzo Piccolomini, but it evolved into something much more significant. The name “in Agone” comes from “Campus Agonis,” the ancient name for the Stadium of Domitian when it was used for sporting events.

Design and Architecture
Girolamo Rainaldi designed the church in 1652 in the shape of a Greek cross. After Pope Innocent X died, his nephew Camillo hired architect Francesco Borromini to continue the project. Borromini created the church’s signature concave-convex facade and designed the tall dome between two bell towers. Later, Carlo Rainaldi, Girolamo’s son, modified Borromini’s original design.
Interior decoration
Inside the church, artisans richly decorated the four arms of the cross with gilded stucco. These arms meet at the central octagon, which holds four altars dedicated to Sant’Alessio, Santa Ermenziana, Sant’Eustachio, and Santa Cecilia. Renowned artists like Giovanni Francesco Rossi, Leonardo Reti, Melchiorre Cafà, and Antonio Raggi created the marble decorations and statues on these altars. Red Cottanello marble surrounds the columns near the altars. The right transept is dedicated to Saint Agnes, while the left honors Saint Sebastian.

Frescoes and Artistic Highlights
Ciro Ferri and Sebastiano Corbellini painted the fresco on the dome, showing Saint Agnes being welcomed into paradise. Giovan Battista Gaulli, known as Baciccio and a favorite artist of Bernini, painted the pendentives of the dome between 1667 and 1671.
These pendentives depict the four cardinal virtues. They highlight Gaulli’s impressive artistic talent, which he also demonstrated in famous churches like the Church of the Gesù and Sant’Ignazio da Loyola.
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