January 31, 2006
This piazza is a marvel of light and sculpture. It is exceptionally long and owes its shape to the ruins that formed it, for under the buildings that surround Piazza Navona are the remains of the Circus Domitianus, Domitian's stadium -- a part of which can be seen if you leave the piazza by the north exit and turn left. The piazza marks the area for the races in the stadium. It features many fine old buildings, a beautiful church and three stunning fountains. (Normally one would be happy if a piazza even had just one.)
It was in the arena that the twelve-year-old Christian, Agnes, refused to marry a pagan and was thus martyred on the spot where the church of Sant'Agnese ("uhn-YEH-seh") is located. In ancient times the stadium was the site of the Agonal games, from which the present piazza takes its name by corruption from "in agone" to "n'agone" to "navone" and finally "navona".
In the centre of the piazza is Bernini's most spectacular fountain, la Fontana dei Fiumi (= rivers, "FYOO-mee"), erected in 1651. It features a central rocky structure that supports an obelisk that was an ancient Roman imitation of the Egyptian form. Around this structure are four giant statues by Bernini's pupils following his designs representing the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges, and the Rio della Plata, each representing one of the four quarters of the world. These statues have quite lifelike positions and have such movement to them that they seem to be gesticulating. (from Romainteractive.com)
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