Piazza Navona - Packed with Shops, Restaurants, Hotels and Nightlife - You’ll Love the Heart of Rome's Cafe Culture.

Piazza Navona - You can immediately sense, from its elongated oval shape, and prime central position, that the views of the Piazza Navona you see today are very different from its origins.

You can see from this picture the outline of the Piazza, which used to be a chariot racing track when first built.

The baroque buildings now surrounding the oval barely disguise that this was once a Chariot Racing track, the Stadium of Domitian, built in the first century and the scene of spectacular and sometimes deathly duels (the losers were often executed!).

Even today, the central area is a dramatic sight, with the obelisk of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in front of the church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone as the focal point. When the fountain was unveiled in 1651, not a drop of water was to be seen. The dejected Pope, Innocent X, who sponsored its building, began to walk away. Only then, Bernini, the builder, dramatically turned on the tap, to the delight of all.

The Piazza Navona’s restaurants and cafes are normally crowded all year round, and this is a honey trap for tourists and street vendors. The warrens of backstreets are full of antique shops, smaller churches, cafes and bars that are a hangout for many of Rome’s intellectuals.

Buses 30, 70, 81, 87, 116, 116T186, 204. Bus number 64 from Termini is the easiest. Piazza Novona is also included in a guided walking tour of The Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and more, which lasts approx 3 hours. Click here to See The Piazza Navona in our "Rome on Foot" Guided Tour.

Our tip is to make this an evening visit, when you really get a feel for the atmosphere of the crowds. Apart for the more expensive restaurants (and there are a few), you won’t need to book a table, and the experienced waiting staff are used to coping with the volume of guests.

Try the Hostaria dell’Orso, an ancient Inn with columns taken from the Roman ruins, if you are looking for something really special. It’s situated on the Via dei Soldati, just off the main Piazza. Dante is said to have stayed here.

One of the many beautiful statues to be founds as you wander around the Piazza Navona. Be sure to stop off for a Cappucino, its one of the best places to see, and be seen, in Rome!

If you have time on your hands, a visit to the nearby Pantheon is very worthwhile. This is the best preserved of the ancient Roman Temples, surviving many attempts to strip and deface its impressive façade. Access is free, and unrestricted until mid evening in the summer, and the surrounding square is a delight, with a statue of an elephant on the south side, and many famous tombs nearby.

You can also quickly get across the Tiber from here, using the Ponte Umberto, to get to the Castel San Angelo and St Peters.

The Piazza Navona is one of the liveliest parts of the City, and well worth a visit when you travel to Rome. If you too would like to experience the piazza navona for yourself, you can use this quick link to my partners at Venere.com, who can find you the best of any type of accommodation you need, right in the heart of the city. They have a superb choice of Apartments, Villas, Osterias and Hotels that suit any budget.

We’re sharing all our tips for getting the best from these amazing places in the pages of Lets-Travel-Rome.com, so make sure you look around this part of the site right now!

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