Rome Tourist Sites - The Piazza Navona And Spanish Steps Districts

Piazza Navona is situated in the heart of central Rome

. In the year 86 AD the Roman emperor Domitian built a stadium to host Greek style games. This was an early example of multiculturalism. About two centuries later it was stripped of marble by Emperor Constantinus II and before long lay in ruins. Pope Innocent X ordering rebuilding in 1644; since then this square has been a major Roman attraction. It has starred in several movies including Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and Mike Nichol's Catch-22. The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, played a leading role in the 1990 version of Coins in the Fountain, but not the more famous 1954 Three Coins in the Fountain, which starred a beautiful competitor, the Trevi Fountain, which will be described in another article. This piazza was once the sight of circus games, carnivals, and medieval jousts.

Behind the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) is the baroque Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. Take a close look at the Bernini statue nearest the church. A hand nearly covers its eyes supposedly so that the statue may avoid seeing the church's facade, built by Bernini's rival Borromini. You'll find a great Christmas market here for a month starting in early December. Whether or not you speak French visit San Luigi dei Francesi, the official church of Rome's French community containing, among other great art works, are three pieces by the baroque master, Caravaggio.

Just north of the Piazza Navona is the beautifully restored Fifteenth Century Palazzo Altemps which hosts the Museo Nazionale Romano. However, many of the pieces in Cardinal Altemps original collection have been dispersed into museum collections around the world. Perhaps the Cardinal was anxious to follow his vow of poverty. Make sure to see the Ludovisi Throne rendering the birth of Venus. Don't bring the kids to this spectacular sculpture if you catch my drift.

The Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) close to the center of the Eternal City is one of Rome's most beautiful squares. Its name dates from the Seventeenth Century when the Spanish Ambassador took up residence in the Palazzo di Spagna. You'll get a great view of Rome from the steps' upper terrace. The natives call it La Scalinata (the staircase.) While the site is beautiful year round, you should try to view it if from mid-April to mid-May when the three landings (in honor of the Trinita Church described next) are festooned with azeleas. At the base of the steps is the Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Unfortunate Boat) designed by Pietro Bernini, father of the more famous Gianlorenzo, in the early Seventeenth Century.

The Church of Trinit dei Monti was built in the late Fifteenth Century by Charles VIII on what had been a vineyard. It was severely damaged by French revolutionaries and completely rebuilt in the early Nineteenth Century. This church now belongs to the French state. Make sure to go inside for stunning artwork including frescoes.

Just south of the Steps is a small museum called the Keats-Shelly Memorial House, once the home of the English Romantic poet John Keats. This lovely little museum is dedicated to him and his friend and fellow poetic giant, Percy Bysshe Shelley. You can stay in a classic British mood by visiting the nearby Babington's Tea Shops.

At the northern end of the district is one of the largest squares in the city, the Piazza del Popolo, which is actually oval-shaped. You might think its name translates into something like the People's Square but here Populo refers to poplar trees. The Piazza is home to an Egyptian obelisk, one of the tallest in the city that has been a local fixture for well over four centuries. On close examination the twin churches, Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria built within twenty years of each other in the late Seventeenth Century are not really twins. This oval square boasts lovely fountains. And perhaps best of all, this area has become a pedestrian zone.

by: Levi Reiss

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