The
Navona Elite grants to its guests an incomparable frame in the middle of the beauties in the Eternal City. A perfect place to discover Rome by foot and enjoy it like the Roman people do. 200 meters away is
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona |
to be found, a characteristic and beautiful square, one of those that best recall the eternal spirit of Rome. The distinguishing elliptical shape of Piazza Navona is due to the Emperor Domitian, which made build in 86 AD a stadium on this site and instituted here games in the Greek style. Domitian stadium was stripped of its marbles in 356 by Constantinus II on a visit to Rome and by the 5th century it was in ruins. It
came to life again during the Renaissance: the square was rebuilt by Pope Innocent X in 1644, turning Piazza Navona into one of the most beautiful sights in Rome. Three fountains adorn the square: the Fountain of the Four Rivers (created 1657 by Bernini) in the center, the Fontana del Moro south and the Fountain of Neptune north. These two fountains were built between 1574 and 1575 by Giacomo della Porta, and then embellished later respectively with a moor and a Neptune statue. Walking in this area you will find numerous gorgeous buildings which remember the splendour of the Papal era during the
Pantheon |
Renaissance: Palazzo Madama, the Senate of the Italian Republic since 1870, built by the Medici; Palazzo Braschi, an edifice in neo-classical style which was built by Pope Pius VI for his nephews and was the last Papal family palace to be built in Rome; Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi and screened by a fine curved portico of Doric columns; Palazzo Altemps, which today houses a separated section of the
Museo Nazionale Romano… In 3 minutes on foot you will arrive in front of the imposing, and suggestive
Pantheon, an impressive remaining of the roman past. As the name says, it was a temple dedicated to all the gods which was built by Agrippa in 27BC. In AD80 the temple was damaged by fire and restored by Domitian.
Emperor Hadrian (117-38) rebuilt it. It was reopened in 608 and converted into a church dedicated to S. Mary and Martyres. The
Pantheon presents an hemispherical dome, whose hole at the top provides the only light. Today, one of the chapel inside, contains the tomb of Vittorio Emanuele II (1820-78), the first king of unified Italy, the tombs of Umberto I and his wife, the graves of the
Palazzo Chigi |
artist Raphael (who died at 37 years old in 1520), of Annibale Carracci, Arcangelo Corelli, and of the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. On the other side of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, walking directed to the Tiber you will find another famous wonderful square, the lively
Piazza Campo de’ Fiori. Emperor Julius Caesar was murdered in a subsidiary building of the Roman senate near the square. In the center of Piazza Campo de’ Fiori rises the monument to Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake for heresy in this square in 1600. Today, in the morning, the square is set of a colourful market and, at night, it is a popular meeting place for young people, both Italian and foreign tourists. Other major world famous sights of Rome are equally reachable by foot: the
Trevi Fountain, masterpiece of the Baroque times, into which water you have to throw a coin if you wish to return to Rome; the
Spanish Steps with an outstanding view on the city from the upper terrace crowned by the
Trinità dei Monti church,
Piazza Venezia, the
Colosseum…
The treasures of the Eternal city are waiting for you, choose the best accommodation to discover Rome, choose the Navona Elite!
