Wandering around Piazza Navona ~ Festa, Witches and San Luigi dei Francesci

I have already shared a night post, of the Festa, at Piazza Navona, as well as the Navona tango post, but I thought I'd include some of my daytime Festa shots, as well. As you can see, the weather was constantly changing, to the point that some of these photos look like they were taken on different days!

Piazza Navona December 2013

Here's some music by one of my favorite Italian composers, Nino Rota, who composed for Fellini's films. This is the theme to 8 1/2 played by Rota.

Fountain of the Four Rivers by Gian Lorenzo Bernini 

and Sant'Agnese in Agone in the background by Francesco Borromini

Sant'Agnese, below, seen with the carousel. 

I didn't ride the carousel, but I did pop into Saint Agnes. There was a mass going on, so I didn't stay long. Unfortunately, for some reason, there are no cameras aloud in this particular church. 

It is said, that this is the site of Saint Agnes' martyrdom. She was another virgin Christian martyr, killed by the Romans. This whole place was originally one big, Roman Amphitheatre. 

Sant'Agnese consecrated in 1123 but was enlarged during the Baroque period, when the commission went to Borromini in 1653. Later, some changes were made by Bernini. These two guys, couldn't seem to stay out of each others hair!

Fountain of the Four Rivers, with a performance artist, below. There are all kinds of artists in Piazza Navona. This one is a Egyptian sarcophagus and basically the idea is to stand perfectly still. 

In better weather, when there is not a Christmas Festa going on, there are painters and sketch artists on the piazza. Musicians and dancers always seem to be around, at least until it starts raining.

Sant'Agnese

A moment of sun on the Fountain of the Four Rivers. I was just still so happy that it was not covered in scaffolding, as on my two previous visit! Yay!

Here are some wonderful Befanas!


Befana shows up on the eve of Epiphany (jan 6) and brings goodies to well behaved Italian children and coal to the kids that have been naughty. Sound familiar? She carries a broom because she was, apparently, a very tidy woman. One night, 3 wise men showed up at her door asking for directions, while she was busy cleaning. The were looking for Baby Gesù. 

Now, Befana flies around, every year, looking for the baby Jesus, and that's when she drops off gifts. There are some sad versions of the tale, where the old woman is searching for the child, because she never had one of her own or had lost a child, and in some stories she actually thinks the baby Jesus is hers. (?) Very dramatic and very Italian.

Anyway, my nieces, parents, and my sister and brother in-law, all received versions of these wonderful little gals. Aren't they awesome? Had I not already purchased a bag o' Befana, the night before, I would have gotten the little gal in the middle. Isn't she great? They crack me up!

The church of San Luigi dei Francesi, is just a few steps North of Piazza Navona and I couldn't resist popping in to visit the 3 Caravaggios in the Contarelli Chapel.

San Luigi dei Francesi

1518-1589

Jean de Chenevière

Domenico Fontana

The ceiling fresco by Charles Joseph Natoire, depicts St. Louis. Natoire is known for his paintings at Versailles.

San Luigi is the church for the French Catholic community, in Rome. And, if memory serves, Catherine de Medici forked over the cash for the building of it.

The painting in the middle, (below) is one of my all time favorite Caravaggios ... The Inspiration of Saint Matthew ... It's so gorgeous! click here for a clearer shot of it.

OK ... now it was time to find some lunch! Pizza perhaps?

When though art in Rome,

do as they do in Rome.

~Miguel de Cervantes

Blessing and light!

For my 2010 Piazza Navona post where I reveal the best Gelato dessert ever, click  here

For more on the legend of BEFANA click here

For more info on Sant'Agnese in Agone click here and here.

For more info about San Luigi dei Francese click here and for it's official website click here

400th Post! Pasta and Piazza Navona!

Ciao Tutti! I can't believe it's my 400th post! 

To celebrate, let's have a little vino rosso, pasta and enjoy a little festa, at Piazza Navona!

It was a Saturday night and had I met up with a friend of a friend, Inta, who'd moved to Rome a year ago. She met me at my little "Golden Rooms" and we headed Southwest toward Piazza Navona. She suggested Enoteca Cul de Sac ... and, it happened that I had been there in 2010 with my folks! They had a great wine selection and I loved their homemade ravioli!

So ... I ordered ravioli again. :) Oh, how I love a good ravioli! This time it was duck, which I don't usually order but it was really good. 

The wine was so good on the previous trip, that I went on my iPhone, and looked at my blog post, from a couple of years ago, to see what I had ordered. And they still had it on the menu! Handy, these blogs of ours!

Inta ordered a meat platter ... very tasty with the wine!

We sat outside under an awning, while it rained around us. As usual, people were standing around waiting for tables. Fortunately, we got there just before the rush.

Here's the inside of the restaurant. They have a HUGE wine selection. To see my other post about Cul de Sac, click HERE.

Mmmmmmmm ....

Before going on the trip, I tried to find out if all the booths and carousel would be up, in Piazza Navona, when I was there, but it was it was unclear. As I mentioned, a lot of decorations don't go up until the 6th or 7th. It was December 1st in Piazza Navona and ... see for yourself!

Piazza Navona! 
Buon Natale!

OH, and I have to mention that on my two previous trips to Rome, the big Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini, in the middle of the piazza, had been covered in scaffold both times! But now?

Yay! The fountain was in full view!

The venders set up all along the piazza, except for in front of Borromini's Church of St. Agnes.

I loved all the nativity pieces and  was looking for a baby Jesus. I have Mary and Joseph but the baby Jesus I had was way to small for the set. In fact, so small, he looked like a premie. So, I was on a hunt for a (reasonably priced) baby Baby Gesù, of a certain size.

Lots of sparkly Christmas ornaments ...

Pile o' nougat ... which I got for my sister. (not the whole pile, just the coffee flavor.)

Perfect Baby Gesù, but only came in a set ...

There were TONS of Befanas! So, choosing the right little Befanas (Sort of an Italian Christmas witch) for members of my family, became another fun hunt! I actually ended up with a "bag o' Befana" ... But more on the little witch later!

On our way back to my little "hotel," we rounded a corner, and there it was! NOW it really felt like I was in Rome. The Pantheon. There is nothing like it. 

Inta suggested we stop and have a drink. We had the perfect view. The shot above was taken from our table! A much easier table to get with the wet weather! The awnings, once again, protected us from the downpour. I can't remember the name of her drink, but I had a limoncello and chatted, and enjoyed the wonderful view. Thanks Inta! 

It was great to get out and be social, and have someone to chat with! I am someone who doesn't mind spending time alone. Sometimes, I might even prefer it. But, by this time, it was really nice to have someone to hang out with. All the chatting inside your own head can get old, even though I'm pretty good company. ;)

Oh! And I found my baby Gesù! I put him on my bedside table in Assisi. I brought him home, and he's the perfect size.

On Facebook, Marianne Williamson posted something, that I want to pass on to you. Jean Houston had shared this quote. Victor Hugo claimed Galileo spoke to him in a seance! Whatever you think about that, and whether it was Galileo who said it or Mr. Hugo that wrote it, it's ... well, read for yourself! 

"You know what I would do if I were in your place? 
I'd drink from the milk basin of the Milky Way;
I'd swallow comets; I'd lunch on dawn; 
I'd dine on day and I'd sup on night;
I'd invite myself, splendid table-companion that I am, 
to the banquet of all the glories,
and I'd salute God as my host!
I'd work up a magnificent hunger, an enormous thirst, 
and I'd race through the drunken spaces between the spheres 
singing the fearsome drinking song of eternity."

Happy St. Patty's Day!
Blessings and light!