Piazza Navona - The Most Beautiful Square in Rome 🏟️🌟

🌟Piazza Navona is located in the historic center of Rome, Italy, and is acclaimed as the most beautiful square in Rome. Originally, it was an oval-shaped stadium built by the Roman Emperor Domitian in 86 AD, which is said to have accommodated 30,000 spectators. 🌟In the 17th century, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphili of the Pamphili family was elected Pope Innocent X. To bring glory to his family, he desired to transform Piazza Navona, where his residence, the Pamphili Palace, was located, into the most noble square in Rome. This is how we came to see the square filled with Baroque-style architecture and sculptures that we admire today. 🌟The most famous of these is the square's iconic landmark - the Fountain of the Four Rivers, located right at the center. The "Four Rivers" are derived from the Old Testament of the Bible, which tells of four mighty rivers flowing in the Garden of Eden, namely the Danube, Nile, Ganges, and Plate. These four great rivers also symbolize the four known continents at the time: Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. 🌟Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed four robust giants holding up a massive obelisk, atop which sits a cross symbolizing Christian power, along with Pope Innocent X's family crest - a dove. 🌟South of the Fountain of the Four Rivers is the Moro Fountain, featuring four merman-like sea gods playing in the sea, with water cleverly spurting from the conch shells they're blowing. It is said that the central figure of Moro holding a dolphin is also a work by Bernini. 🌟North of the Fountain of the Four Rivers, there is a Fountain of the Sea, which corresponds to the Moro Fountain. This is a 19th-century addition, made to give the square a more symmetrical appearance. On the west side of the square stands a row of Renaissance-style buildings, with the famous Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone right in the center. The church's main facade was designed by Francesco Borromini, who was also a student of Bernini. #Italy #CulturalAttractions #Architecture #Rome #CitySquares