Navona Square (Piazza Navona):
is a jewel of Roman Baroque. Its name probably derives
from “agone” (nagone, navone) which means “gara, gioco”
(race, game) referring to the naval battles that took
place when
the square had a concave bottom which was artificially
flooded for naval games.
The beautiful shaped square was built
on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, on which it
has kept the form.
The two greatest Baroque genius meet
in Piazza Navona: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, creator of the
fountains of the four Rivers (Gange, Nile, Danube and
Plate) and Francesco Borromini, architect of the Church
of Sant’Agnese in Agone. Besides the other two fountains,
that of Neptune and that of the Moro (Moor), splendid
palaces adorn the square: Palazzo Panphili, planned
by Rinaldi for the Pamphili Family, patron of the entire
square; Palazzo Braschi, built by Cosimo Morelli. The
oldest building in the square is the Church of Nostra
Signora del Sacro Cuore in front of Palazzo Pamphili.
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