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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

The 'Lago di Piazza Navona'

26/1/2019

 
Map
Photograph of the Lago di Piazza Navona by Tommaso Cuccioni, 1858, Rome
Photograph of the 'Lago di Piazza Navona' by Tommaso Cuccioni, 1858

For more than two centuries, it was the custom to flood the Piazza Navona during the month of August, generally Rome's hottest month.

The practise started the year after Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) was completed in 1651, and lasted until 1867, when the level of the piazza was raised. The creation of what came to be known as the '
Lago di Piazza Navona' took place every weekend in August, when the outlets that carried away the fountain water were stopped and much of the piazza was transformed into a shallow lake (lago). 

The coaches of the nobility would then enter the piazza in pairs, one line moving to the right, the other to the left. The windows and balconies surrounding the square would be crowded with spectators, eager to witness the 'Lago di Piazza Navona'.

Piazza Navona, Rome
Piazza Navona

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    Walking Tours For Discerning Travellers

    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
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    of Rome.

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  • Home
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  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
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  • Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
    • St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
  • Gallery
    • Piazzas >
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      • Piazza del Quirinale
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      • Piazza San Pietro
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    • Churches
    • Ancient Rome
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    • Domes
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    • Street Shrines
    • Old Photographs
    • Borromini & the Baroque