More Piazza Navona tourist attractions

When in Rome… Piazza Navona tourist attractions

This When in Rome… Piazza Navona blog article is written for the guests of the Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast and B&B Little Italy in Rome.        All Hotels and B&B’s in Rome Palazzo Pamphili The original Palazzo Pamphili (or Pamphilj) was built in 1630, on top of a number of already existing houses. When Giovanni Battista Pamphilj became Pope (as Innocent X) in 1644 he commissioned Girolamo Rainaldi to reconstruct and enlarge the palazzo which led to the destruction and/or adaptation of even more adjacent buildings. Nowadas the Palazzo is property of Brasil and houses that country’s embassy. Fountain of the Moor The original Fontana del Moro (on the south end of Piazza Navona) was erected by Giacomo della Porta in 1575. The 4 tritons blowing shells and the masks were carved by other sculptors. The Moor in the middle was added in 1654. It was ordered by the Pope’s sister-in-law Donna Olimpia and designed by Bernini. The basin was designed with a marble called Portasanta (Holy Door), since it was also used for the doorjambs at Sain Peter’s. In 1874 all original sculptures were moved to the Giardino del Lago in Villa Borghese, and Luigi Amici sculpted the copies that can still be seen on Piazza Navona.  Fountain of Neptune Also for this fountain the marble known as Portasanta was used. Giacomo della Porta designed it in 1574 in a way that would make it comparable to the Fountain of the Moor, but his project was never carried through. The statue- and decorationless fountain came to be called the Fountain of the Coppersmiths (Fontana dei Calderai) until Antonio della Bitta carved the statue of Neptune slaying an octopus (hence Fontana del Nettuno) and Gregorio Zappalà the group of sea animals and nymphs playing in the basin.

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