Piazza Navona is Rome's most theatrical square, a long oval lined with Baroque churches and palaces, with three fountains down its centre and street artists working between the café tables. It is free, open at all hours and one of the best places in the city to sit and watch Roman life. Piazza Navona also sits on top of an ancient stadium, which explains its unusual shape.
Why visit Piazza Navona
In the 1st century AD, Emperor Domitian built a stadium here for athletic contests. The buildings around the modern square stand on its seating, and the open space follows the line of the old track. Over the centuries it became a market place and a stage for festivals, and in the 17th century Pope Innocent X, whose family palace faces the square, turned it into a showcase of Baroque art.
That is when Gian Lorenzo Bernini created the Fountain of the Four Rivers, and Francesco Borromini rebuilt the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone opposite it. The rivalry between the two architects is part of the square's folklore.
How to get to Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is in the historic centre, an area the metro does not reach directly. The closest station is Spagna on Line A, about 20 minutes away on foot through the shopping streets and past the Pantheon area. Barberini on Line A is a similar walk via the Trevi Fountain.
Other practical options:
- Tram 8 and many bus routes stop at Largo di Torre Argentina, around ten minutes' walk south of the square.
- Several buses run along Corso del Rinascimento, which passes just east of the square.
- On foot, Piazza Navona is around five minutes from the Pantheon and Campo de' Fiori, so it fits naturally into a walk through the centre.
Entry and the stadium below
The square has no entrance fee and no opening hours. The one paid site is the Stadium of Domitian (Stadio di Domiziano), an underground museum at the northern end, where you can walk among the original arches and learn how the stadium worked. Check its official website for current hours and prices.
The churches around the square, including Sant'Agnese in Agone, are generally free to enter outside services. Remember to cover shoulders and knees.
Best time to visit Piazza Navona
Come early in the morning to see the fountains without crowds and in soft light. The square is liveliest in the evening, when the fountains are lit, the cafés are full and painters and performers set up. Cafés directly on the square charge a premium for the view; it is often better value to eat in the side streets and come back for a stroll.
In December the square traditionally hosts a Christmas market with sweets, toys and nativity figures, though its format has changed over the years. Most visits last half an hour to an hour, longer if you add the underground stadium.
What to see in the square
The Fountain of the Four Rivers
Bernini's central fountain shows four river gods representing the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Río de la Plata, around a rocky base topped by an Egyptian-style obelisk. Look at the Nile's covered head, often explained as a sign that the river's source was then unknown.
Sant'Agnese in Agone
Borromini's concave façade and dome face the central fountain. A popular story claims Bernini's river gods recoil from the church, but the fountain was finished before the façade, so the tale is a legend.
The Fountain of the Moor and the Fountain of Neptune
The fountains at the southern and northern ends complete the trio. The Moor's central figure was designed by Bernini, while the Neptune group was added much later.
Nearby on foot
Piazza Navona is surrounded by some of Rome's best-known sights:
- The Pantheon: the ancient domed temple, about five minutes east.
- Campo de' Fiori: a square with a morning market, just south across Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.
- Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza: Borromini's spiralling church, a few steps away.
- Palazzo Altemps: part of the National Roman Museum, with classical sculpture, just north of the square.
Explore more nearby on Piazza Navona on Around the Metro, or see every station on the Rome metro map.