Christmas
Fair -- Piazza Navona: The Christmas Fair at Piazza
Navona begins on December 8 and runs until the Feast of the Epiphany in
January. There are booths with toys, Christmas Decorations, figures for
Christmas nativity scenes, candies, cakes, and such traditional goodies
as giant sugar doughnuts and roasted pork sandwiches. All of Rome's clowns,
mimes, and street entertainers seem to be there as are Italian bag-pipers
in rustic costumes. A Merry-go-Round keeps the kids happy. This fair is
popular with Romans, too. A visit on December 8 will immerse you in a vast
crowd and Saturday afternoon and Sundays are also crowded. (Watch out for
pickpockets!) After dark the Piazza is a fairyland of lights.
You will want to know what's around
you on the famous piazza:
The Fountains (includes
an old photo of the annual flooding of the Piazza):
http://pub.xplore.it/nerone/nerone/thismont/giugno/navona.htm
Piranesi's drawing of the Piazza:
http://www.siba.fi/~kkoskim/rooma/pages/PIRA010B.HTM
G. Falda's drawing of Borromini's S.
Agnese Church:
http://www.siba.fi/~kkoskim/rooma/pages/FALD306B.HTM
(Announcement of the Borromini Exhibit:
http://www.borromini.at/e/)
S. Agnese. Church -- Morlacchi
http://www.bestitaly.net/morlacchi/01b.htm
Palazzo Pamphili (next to S. Agnese)
-- Morlacchi:
http://www.bestitaly.net/morlacchi/01a.htm