Navona Square

Until 1869, the city market was located on the square of Navona. During the holidays, folk festivities with costumed battles and sports competitions were constantly organized here. Translated from Greek, these competitions were called Agons. Gradually, the word was transformed into the name of the square (agone - nagone - navona). In the center of Navona Square is the Fountain of the Four Rivers, created by the architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Dominants in the composition of the fountain are sculptural images of the largest rivers in the world: the Ganges, Danube, Nile and La Plata. They symbolize four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Two more fountains are located on the edges of the square - the Fountain of the Mavra, created by Giacomo dela Porta and restored by Bernini, as well as the famous fountain of Neptune. The story goes that when funds began to run out to renovate Pope Innocent X’s beloved Navona Square, he tried to impose a new tax on fountains. In response, the people of Rome protested and demanded "Bread, bread, not fountains!"