﻿This is the Piazza Navona. It's the greatest square of Rome. Great,
in the sense of being wonderful and lively, beautiful, large. Night and day,
it's a busy place. This piazza is like the living room of Rome, a place for locals and visitors
alike. It's considered one of the most beautiful and lively outdoor spaces in the world. And you'll
probably return here several times in your visit to Rome, because it's interesting night and day.
Originally built as a racetrack by the ancient Roman Emperor Domitian, it still retains the
original oval shape that gives it a unique appearance, lined with restaurants and palaces.
The piazza is enclosed by faded pastel facades all around that produce a rich feeling of antiquity.
It's a place to have some fun with something for everybody. One of the most beautiful focal points
of the Piazza Navona is the fountain of the Four Rivers, right in the center. It was designed by
Bernini, that greatest of all baroque artists in Rome. There are four principal statues that
represent the four major rivers of the great continents known at that time. You want to
walk all the way around this wonderful sculptural complex and see it from all angles, and especially
from the corner where you get the church in the backdrop. We have a nice angle now, don't we?
With the church behind and those twin towers, and the fountain itself and the obelisk. It's just
a breathtaking sight. It's such a combination of visual treats. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, at his best.
He was a great man. He was an architect, a sculptor, a painter, a playwright,
and a wonderful diplomat. He worked with nine different popes.
You've got to be clever to get by with nine different popes.
We'll take a close look at these fountains to appreciate their beauty and discuss some of the
history of the piazza coming up in just a few minutes. But first, let's take a stroll around
the piazza and absorb this magical atmosphere. There are some convenient benches all around
the fountain where you can sit down or lie down and relax. Sightseeing in Rome can be tiring.
The piazza is lined with many attractive looking restaurants, most of them with lovely outdoor
terraces that look very appealing. It looks like a nice place to sit down and have a meal.
But you'll find much better restaurants within a few blocks of the piazza, with more reasonable
prices. However, if you'd like to sit at one of these terrace cafes and have a drink, enjoy some
people watching, that's perfectly fine. Just be aware you'll pay a slightly higher price here
for anything. When you sit outdoors in a cafe, it's always more expensive than standing inside
at the bar anyway. But sitting down at a cafe terrace can be a lovely way to spend some time.
The most famous of these cafes is Tre Scalini,
also expensive, but you might enjoy having their tartufo, ice cream made of pure chocolate,
using 13 different qualities of cacao from Austria, a secret recipe created here in 1946.
You'll notice that lots of artists have set up their easels here, turning the piazza
into an outdoor art gallery. They could do a quick sketch of you, or you could buy an
original watercolor with some really beautiful choices here of the various scenes of Rome.
Just be sure it's an actual painting and not some cheap print going for a high price. Most of these
artists are honest and very talented. Part of that artistic heritage of the city. Maybe you'd
like a caricature of yourself. Make yourself look kind of goofy. It can be done in a pastel or in a
charcoal, black and white. You can talk with the artist and negotiate the price and discuss the
style, or perhaps just a straightforward portrait to make yourself look better than a photograph.
And there are many other kinds of arts that you can purchase here. There are watercolors,
there's oil paintings, and the wonderful thing is these are original works of art, and you're
buying it directly from the artist. There are no middlemen involved, so you're getting a good deal.
And often when we're traveling, we want to shop and buy something special. Well, what
could be more special than an original painting of the city that you're visiting, especially when
it's a city as beautiful as Rome? There has been some kind of a market here in the piazza for the
last 500 years, although the art market is more recent. This is the largest outdoor art market
in Rome and perhaps in the entire country. Even if you're not buying, it's always fun to walk around,
look at the pictures, talk to the artists, and do some people watching. Many of the artists
stay here right up into the evening, which can sometimes get busier than during the daytime.
And this is generally a safe place. There are so many people around and the guardians are here
to protect you, you can feel very comfortable and secure. Maybe you'd enjoy a horse carriage ride.
It's an easy way to see many of those old cobbled streets in the historic center. You'll generally
find local students out for a tour with their teacher. Because the piazza is so beautiful,
it can get very crowded. People love to flock here, especially in the high season, which is May
through October. The piazza stays busy right through the evening as a major gathering place
of nighttime Rome, and one of the big attractions is that central Fountain Of The Four Rivers. "The
Fountain Of The Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, one of the main highlights of Rome, you cannot miss
it, by Bernini. Amazing statues, especially in the morning, like about 9:00 am as we are here now.
Not crowded, and you can get a good view of it. If you come in midday it's jammed with people, you
can hardly see it. So come in the morning, you'll get that great lighting on the church as well to.
Right now, you don't have to worry about crowds. You can watch it in comfort while I describe
the history and meaning of these beautiful fountains. But there's nothing like being there,
especially to appreciate something so huge and three dimensional and wet, a,
nd with the noise of the water and the whole sensation of the piazza, with music in the air.
It's an amazing experience. But let me try and share it with you. Fountain of the Four Rivers
in Piazza Navona was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1651 for Pope Innocent X,
whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili faced onto the piazza, as did the Church of Sant Agnese
in Agone, of which Innocent was the sponsor. The fountain has four giant heroic statues
that represent the four major rivers of the four continents over which the Pope had some authority.
In total, they symbolize the power the church had on the four most important areas of the world at
that time. You've got the Nile representing Africa, the Danube representing Europe,
Asia represented by the Ganges and the Americas represented by Rio de la Plata of Argentina. The
church was involved with profitable trade in these areas and also missionary activities to convert
people to the Catholic Church. Each of these huge river gods are strong, muscular characters
yet they're in a semi-prostrate position in awe of the central power, epitomized by the Egyptian
obelisk, the symbol of papal power. The obelisk is a monolithic piece of Aswan granite brought
from Egypt. Very heavy, yet look at how it seems to float in the sky, magically suspended above an
empty space beneath it. You are left to wonder how can this obelisk possibly be supported over
thin air, which adds a magical and dramatic effect to astonish the viewer. Each of the four statues
have symbols representing their significance. The head of the Nile statue is draped with a loose
piece of cloth, meaning that no one at that time knew exactly where the Nile source was. There's a
lion and a palm tree representing Africa. It's a thirsty lion who is happy to be at this fountain
so he can lap up some water. Bernini playfully gives us a look at the tail end of the lion
on the other side of the statue. And the palm tree seems to be blowing in the wind, even though made
of solid travertine rock. Europe is represented by the Danube, and that statue reaches to touch
the Pope's personal coat of arms, since it is the largest river close to Rome. Asia is represented
by the Ganges, the sacred river, personified by a solemn, bearded figure who carries long oar
that represents the river's navigability. He seems to be the most prominent and noble of
all the figures, facing right towards the front of the statue in a prime position. Holding his
hand up high, the Rio de la Plata represents the Americas. He's sitting on a pile of coins,
symbol of the riches that America could afford to Europe. The word Plata means silver in Spanish.
Also he looks scared by a snake showing rich mens fear that their money could be stolen. And
he raises his arm to symbolize the colonization of the recently subdued American continent. The horse
represents a connection between Europe and the Americas because it was found on both continents.
Bernini had many artistic talent, as sculptor, architect and writer, and the dynamic way he
fused these traditions together to tell a historical drama with these statues made this
fountain revolutionary when compared to previous Roman projects. As historian Simon Schama said,
"at that time, it was surely the greatest water spectacle in any urban space in Europe."
This fountain is a theater in the round, a spectacle of action that invites you to walk
all the way around it, observing the different angles, the different characters, the spectacle,
water flows and splashes from a jagged and pierced mountainous disorder of travertine marble,
cooling the air and making a delightful sound. There are so many small and whimsical items
packed into this sculptural ensemble that you'll be continually surprised and delighted.
It takes a long time to really understand what's going on here. Bernini was master of the Baroque,
in which twisted curves and motion provide the framework of the piece, in which these
inert chunks of stone have miraculously come to life. Bernini was lucky to get the commission
to create this sculpture because the Pope did not want him involved, for various political reasons.
But Bernini was already one of the most famous sculptors in Rome and did have many fans,
including the Pope's niece, who convinced Bernini to make a small model of the statue, which she put
in the Pope's palace and when Innocent the 10th saw the model, he decided it was so wonderful
that he had to let Bernini create it. Public fountains in Rome served multiple purposes.
They were highly needed sources of water for neighbors in the centuries prior to home plumbing,
and they were monuments to the papal patrons, also they created beautiful works of art for the public
to admire. Piazza Navona has two other fountains, sometimes overlooked because of the magnificence
of the Four Rivers. At the southern end is Fontana del Moro, with a basin and four tritons,
sculpted by Giacomo della Porta in 1575, and one century later, Bernini added a statue of a Moor,
wrestling with a dolphin. At the northern end is the fountain of Neptune, also created by Giacomo
della Porta, in 1574. The work was commissioned by Pope Gregory the 13th, but it was never completed
for about 300 years. The fountain remained without sculptures. It was only in the 19th
century the statue of Neptune was added, portrayed with his trident fighting with a large octopus.
It creates a balance with the fountain of the Moor at the other end of the piazza. Smaller
sculptures here illustrate two seahorses, mermaids, and cupids playing with dolphins.
The theatrical setting of the fountain of the Four Rivers is greatly enhanced by the backdrop
of the Church of Sant Agnese, with an elaborate convex facade and beautiful dome, flanked by twin
bell towers, a spectacular, baroque architectural landmark, designed by Boromini and Carlo Rainaldi.
Step inside and be amazed at how the dazzling architecture creates an impression of great size,
even though it's contained in a very small area. Sant Agnese is open to the public,
but originally it was the private chapel of Pope Innocent, the 10th. It was part of his palace,
and he has his own statue greeting you up above the main door. The Pope could attend mass from his
balcony, which he reached from the palace through a private corridor. We seem to be gaining his
blessings by just looking up at this magnificent statue. The church is only as wide as the dome,
but thanks to Baroque innovations, it seems much bigger, with the palace of the pope extending out
on both sides. Sometimes you get lucky and a band in costume comes marching through. (music plays)
Let's take a moment and listen. (Music plays) That historical spectacle is a good lead-in for
some discussion of the history of the piazza and those wonderful fountains.
The Piazza Navona has a very long history. It started out in Roman days. It's 2000 years old.
Piazza Navona is built on the site of an ancient Roman stadium that was created by the Emperor
Domitian back in the first century. And the piazza still follows that same form of the open space of
the stadium. Domitian was the son of the Emperor Vespasian, who built the Coliseum, so there was a
strong family heritage of creating huge monumental structures. Some parts of that ancient stadium
have survived underneath the piazza. And you can go look at it because the museum was created
in the year 2014 after extensive archeological research and reconstruction, to open this up to
the public, in a remarkable display of remnants of the original stadium, numerous sculptural
fragments and a great deal of information where you can learn about the Roman Empire
and the history of the ancient sports. Domitian's Stadium could seat 30,000 people. Entrance to this
underground museum is outside the north end of the piazza., as you can learn about on their website.
There's nothing visible of these original structures within the current piazza,
so I'll continue presenting some contemporary pictures of the piazza. 2000 years ago,
the Romans were there to watch the games consisting of gymnastic competitions and races.
The Latin word for games was agone, which evolved over time to the word Navona. The games continued
right up into the fourth century, but by the fifth century, the decay of the monument began and
subsequently the stadium was used, like other Roman monuments, as a quarry for materials to
build other structures. And so the building slowly disappeared. Not much was going on in
this location during the Middle Ages, but towards the end of the 15th century, a major city market
was transferred here, which turned this into a busy and popular location. By the middle
of the 17th century, it became transformed into a significant example of baroque Roman architecture,
especially because of Pope Innocent, the 10th, who built his Pamphili Palace right on the piazza.
Today that is still the major building of the piazza, stretching almost the entire length.
The palace was built between 1644 and 1650, but the Pamphili family no longer lives there. Since
1920 the palace has housed the Brazilian embassy, and now part of the palace is a luxury hotel with
a rooftop bar that's open to the public. The Pope had those magnificent fountains created
and he also enjoyed having water games in which the entire piazza would be flooded,
and people could splash around, and the Navy could reenact some nautical battles.
For two centuries, this continued until 1866, when the piazza was flooded every Saturday and Sunday
in August to celebrate the Pamphili family. But later in the 19th century, the pavement was raised
and the market was moved to Campo Dei Fiore in 1869. But they still hold the Christmas market
every year in the piazza and have many other festivities here, including major fashion shows,
movie production, book fairs, trade shows and music performances. Piazza Navona is centrally
located in Rome, easy to reach on foot within ten or 15 minutes from most of the major attractions,
and the sights further away, like the Colosseum and the Vatican, are within two kilometers,
so there too, you can walk it. The piazza is right in the center of Rome. And that,
my friends, completes our in-depth look at the Piazza Navona. We have many more movies about
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