Navona Square (Piazza Navona): is a jewel of Roman Baroque. Its
name probably derives from “agone” (nagone, navone) which means
“gara, gioco” (race, game) referring to the naval battles that
took the square had a concave bottom which was artificially
flooded for naval games. The beautiful shaped square was built
on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, on which it has kept the
form. The two greatest Baroque genius meet in Piazza Navona:
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, creator of the fountains of the four
Rivers (Gange, Nile, Danube and Plate) and Francesco Borromini,
architect of the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. Besides the
other two fountains, that of Neptune and that of the Moro
(Moor), splendid palaces adorn the square: Palazzo Panphili,
planned by Rinaldi for the Pamphili Family, patron of the entire
square; Palazzo Braschi, built by Cosimo Morelli. The oldest
building in the square is the Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro
Cuore in front of Palazzo Pamphili.