Piazza Navona
Baroque piazza on the site of a Roman stadium, centered on Bernini's great obelisk fountain.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Piazza Navona in Rome opens with Pope Innocent X shutting Gian Lorenzo Bernini out of the competition for a new fountain here, and a scale model smuggled into the pope's own path by a nephew determined to change his mind. It follows the Fountain of the Four Rivers that resulted, its obelisk and four river gods representing Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa, and the famous story Romans tell about why the Nile figure covers its face. Listen for how that story holds up against the fountain's actual timeline.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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