Piazza Navona
Within The UNESCO Historic Centre Of Rome (1980); The Three Fountains Are Protected Monuments Under Roma Capitale · Rome, Lazio
A long oval of a square in the middle of old Rome, shaped that way because it sits directly on the running track of Domitian's stadium, opened in AD 86 and still four and a half metres below the paving. The stadium held about thirty thousand people; the square kept its outline when houses were built over the seating. Three fountains run down the middle, and the one in the centre is Bernini's, unveiled in 1651, with four river gods for four continents heaving around an Egyptian obelisk taken from a circus on the Appian Way. The figure of the Nile has his head veiled, which guides will tell you is Bernini sneering at Borromini's church across the way; the fountain was finished before the church was begun, and the veil is there because nobody knew where the Nile rose. It is free, flat, open at every hour, full of caricaturists and restaurant touts, and at its best before the terraces put their tables out.
Piazza Navona, Rome, Lazio, 00186, Italy
The square, its three fountains and the surrounding streets are open at all hours and free. Sant'Agnese in Agone is free, open Tuesday to Friday 09:00-19:00 and weekends 09:00-20:00, closed 13:00-15:00 daily and closed Mondays. The underground Stadium of Domitian has published hours of roughly 10:00-19:00 but its operating status in 2026 is disputed. The Christmas market runs from early December to 6 January, open late.