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This spectacular plaza, the crowning glory of Baroque Rome, is accessible only on foot. Its rectangular form, with rounded corners, echoes its original function; that of the 'stadio Domiziano' Domitian's stadium), upon which the plaza was built.
Three fountains dominate the plaza: at the centre lies the Fontana dei Quattro fiumi-the Four Rivers Fountain (Nile, Danube, Ganges, Rio de la Plata, symbolizing Africa, Asia, Europe and America), masterwork of Bernini.
At the southern end, again by Bernini, La Fontana del Moro (the Moor's Fountain).
On the northern end the Fontana del Nettuno (fountain of Neptune), built in the 19th Century.
Outstanding among the buildings surrounding the plaza, is the Chiesa di S. Agnese in Agone (Saint Agnes in competition church), on the western side, with its concave façade and twin bell towers by Borromini. This plaza hosted centuries of races, tournaments, and festivals; which have survived to this day in the form of the 'Festa della Befana' (the Epiphany witch), accompanied by the sound of deafening trumpets.
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