[Rome] Picturesque Piazza Navona

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When we arrived at Piazza Navona, we were very excited to explore because it looked so scenic! But before that, we had to get lunch first.

We came upon a lovely little restaurant called 4 Colonne Roma. It has its own website here.
There's a special lunch menu for tourists complete with English translations. The waiters know English so ordering is easy. We went with a steak menu - Steak with baked potatoes, bread and red / white wine for 14 Euros. There is a sea bass set if you don't fancy beef. Pizza and pasta sets are just 10 Euros.

We were given a table on the terrace. Not many people walk by as the restaurant faces away from the main square, so it's quite peaceful.

Food, glorious food. The colours are so rich and appetizing! But the servings are pretty small. I find it just right for me. However, people with bigger appetites may have a problem. The steak is very tender. I'm no wine connoisseur and I just drink what's on the table. I think the wine's just all right, could have been smoother. Ivy knows much more about wines, she swirled it around a lot and explained that it needed more decanting to taste better. In any case, 14 Euros with no additional service charge is a really good deal for steak and wine. We left a tip of course.

Piazza Navona is small, and there actually isn't much to explore, but it is a very nice place to hang around, people-watch and take photos. It was a fine day and many artists were out and about, putting their craft on display. Some customers were getting their portraits drawn.

The Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone is one of the key buildings at the square. Unfortunately, it's closed on the day we visited. I was so disappointed!

The Fontana del Moro (Moor Fountain, Moor being another word for African), one of the trio of fountains that Piazza Navona is famous for. This fountain was built by Giacomo della Porta while the central statue of a Moor holding a dolphin was designed by Bernini.

In front of St Agnes, and right in the middle of the square is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the four rivers), designed by Bernini, who seems to be the go-to guy for obelisks. The fountain features four figures, each representing a river from a different continent - the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata.

The Fountain of Four Rivers is too big so we could only make do with the base.

Last but not least, the Fontana del Nettuno - Neptune Fountain, also by Giacomo della Porta.

The nonchalant demeanor of the gulls in contrast with Neptune's constipated face as he battles an aggressive octopus hungrily eyeing his peen is seriously hilarious.

This guy photo-bombed us like a boss. We couldn't keep a straight face for several minutes after that.

View of the Piazza from the other end.

Scaffolding / refurbishment again.

Seriously what is the point of pretty scaffolding if you're just going to ruin it with a fat ad billboard smack in the middle?

We looked for a signboard that says Piazza Navona to post with, and found one above a quaint little shop!

Saw a shop selling very expensive dolls. We tried to get a mirror shot.

Gorgeous gothic fairy doll