Built according to the wishes of Pope Innocent X, belonging to the historic Pamphili family, this is perhaps one of the most evocative squares in Rome.
It was built on a special area, the one in which the Domitian stadium once stood (built in 85 AD): it is a 276 meter long space, 106 meters wide and then, it was able to host up to 30,000 spectators! This area, in fact, was used exclusively for games and athletic competitions, and there were not the famous horse races that instead took place in the racetracks. Precisely for this reason the square was called "in Agone" (from the Latin "in agonis", meaning "games"). Piazza Navona today remains one of the most important examples of Baroque architecture, flourishing in Rome since the seventeenth century: scattered around this square are the works of the greatest exponents of this style, such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona. One can not speak of Piazza Navona without describing the Fountain of the Four Rivers, a work by Bernini. Four colossal figures represent the main rivers of the world, which symbolize the four corners of the earth: the Danube, the Nile, the Ganges and the Rio de la Plata; the four giants are supported by natural rocks, which seem to easily support the imposing Egyptian obelisk, are also flanked by plants and animals typical of the different areas: among them stand a horse, a lion, a snake, a crocodile ... and then even cactuses, palms and other creatures that arouse surprise and want to make living, for those who walk near this fountain, a sort of exotic journey through distant lands. In general, this square is famous for its fountains, and it is curious how it has always been linked to water: from 1652 until 1866, this large space was transformed into a kind of pool, a pool of water. shallow water that allowed both aristocrats and plebeians to cool off in the summer months! All the discharge spigots of the square were closed so as to overflow all three fountains! The large swimming pool, thus, became the site of numerous water games, races and chases between carts, carriages ... Imagine the square full of musicians, street vendors and acrobats who took advantage of it to sell their wares, entertaining the spectators. The other protagonist of this square is surely Borromini, architect who is entrusted with the project of S. Agnese in Agone, another extraordinary example of Baroque architecture, located right in front of the fountain of Bernini: a legend tells that two of the figures represent the Rivers seem to want to repair from the imminent fall of the church, raising their arms and covering their eyes: it is a simple story, but ideal to highlight the rivalry that really existed between the two architects. The Church of St. Agnes is located in the middle of the western side of the square, just in front of the Bernini fountain. It is dedicated to St. Agnes, a young woman who would have died in the Domitian stadium, or on the same place occupied today by the square.
Borromini took care of the construction work between 1652 and 1657, giving the façade a concave shape to give greater prominence to the dome: the idea of giving the façades a curvilinear shape, among many other architectural strategies and innovations, is proven also by Bernini. The interior is an explosion of colors and decorations, in keeping with the magnificence of this square full of works of art.