Angels & Demons Tour of Rome: WATER (Piazza Navona)
Buon giorno and welcome to A Road Retraveled’s Angels and Demons tour. Here is the last of the four altars of science: WATER – which is Piazza Navona.
In this episode, we visit Piazza Navona where the scene in the novel and movie take place.
If you have only 1 day in Rome to explore the incredible places featured in Angels and Demons novel and film including Piazza Navona, make the most of your day with Stefano Rome Tours . Follow the footsteps of Robert Langdon in comfort.
Click on the banner below to find out more about the tour:
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona represents the last of the Altars of Science: WATER . In the novel/movie scene that takes place in the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the Fountain of the Four Rivers. In this dramatic scene the assassin drowns the last of his 4 victims.
The Fountain of Four Rivers is another one of Bernini’s greatest masterpieces. It depict allegories for the four great rivers in the four continents as known to Renaissance geographers: the Nile in Africa, Ganges in Asia, Danube in Europe, and Río de la Plata in America. Each has a river god, semi-prostrate, in awe of the Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula. A dove at the top is the family symbol of Pope Innocent X who commissioned the fountain. Each representation also has animals and plants to further identify each continent.
Although when unveiled in 1651 the fountain left the people speechless and in awe, when it was constructed it was met by oppositions from the local Romans.
Pope Innocent X built the fountain at public expense during the severe famine of 1646-48. Throughout the construction of the fountain there were threats of riot. Street vendors also opposed the construction of the fountain because the Pope banned them from the piazza as he believed they diminished the magnificence of the Piazza. When the vendors refused to leave, the papal police chased them out of the piazza.
As you can see all around you when you visit the square – they’re all back!
Click above to watch the video as we explore Piazza Navona and it’s ancient roots. Piazza Navona reaches back to Ancient Rome and in the video you will find out what grand architectural structure the square takes its shape from. You will also discover more secrets, symbols, and beautiful works of art!
This marks the end of our Angels and Demons Tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed this real life, yet non very dramatic, suspenseful, or action packed like the novel or the movie.
I didn’t save the day, or the Vatican from being blown to smithereens, I didn’t rub elbows with who’s who inside the Vatican, heck, I’m not even staying at the 5 star Bernini Bristol Hotel…but I AM going to have a well deserved Roman dinner.
All this touring made me hungry!! Too bad Dan Brown didn’t make any restaurant recommendations in his novel. See you next time, Ciao for now!