The Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages One of the nicest places to visit in Rome is Piazza Navona. According to history, this place was originally built for athletic meets and chariot racing but it now hosts several luxurious cafes and Baroque palaces, giving a warm Mediterranean welcome to visitors. At the center is the Saint’Agnese in Agone. This church illustrates the religious beliefs of the people. Three lavish fountains adorn the piazza, namely Fontana del Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Nettuno, and Fontana de Moro. These fountains make the view appear romantic and mysterious in the early morning but exciting and spectacular at night. There is entertainment and art everywhere as artists gather here to dance, paint, and sing whilst vendors sell souvenirs to newcomers.

The grandest of the three fountains is the one at the center, Fontana Dei Quattro. This fountain attracts the attention of the passersby because of the huge sculptures in the middle, surrounding an obelisk. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed this fountain in 1651 for Pope Innocent X, whose family palace faces the piazza. The sculptures make the fountain look mysterious as they consist of four river gods representing the Nile River of Africa, the Danube River of Europe, the Ganges River of Asia, and the Rio de la Plata River of America. The sculptures take different dramatic poses, each bearing muscular limbs and facial expressions highly characteristic of Baroque art. According to history, constructing the said fountain was tough because people opposed using public funds for it as they suffered hunger. They vandalised around the area, expressing their sentiments so there was a need to patrol the area during its construction. Today, however, the fountain serves as an important legacy of art and tourist attraction.

Fontana del Nettuno or the Fountain of Neptune is found at the north end of the piazza. This fountain was designed in 1574 by Giacomo della Porta and sponsored by Pope Gregory XIII. The fountain is composed of a basin made of white marble and on top are mythological nereids or sea nymphs and the god Neptune wrestling with an octopus.
Overall, the three fountains in the Piazza Navona are antiquities that show the craftsmanship of the Romans. The piazza, with its unique and precious landscape, may be unparalleled for its beauty. Notably, however, the subjects of the sculptures are all male. This reflects the power of the male figure in the Renaissance time, and in turn, the elites because they were the ones who had access to education and the arts

The cost of materials used to construct the fountains reveals the elitist view of both the Church and the government. The said fountains now serve as legacies of art but at the time they were constructed, the common people did not have enough to eat, thus they resisted the construction of the Fontana Dei Quattro. In response, the government was after prestige and power, thus it held a stiff look at the qualms of the people. In many works, the Renaissance people lavishly proved their high taste in art, which later earned them prestige and praise.\ ...Download file to see next pages Read More