Piazza Navona

Since Allison posted a couple of shots of us in Piazza Navona, I thought I'd reproduce a little history of the spot, which is the site of the ancient Stadium of Domitian. This from the Blue Guide for Rome:

Its form, preserving the dimensions of the Roman building which could probably hold some 30,000 spectators, represents a remarkable survival within the modern city. The name, too, is derived from the athletic games, the 'Agoni Capitolini' held here after the stadium was inaugurated in AD 86. In the Middle Ages the piazza was caled the 'Campus Agonis'; hence 'agone', 'n'agona', and 'navona'. Historic festivals, jousts, and open-air sports took place here, and it was also used as a market place from 1477 until 1869. From the 17C to the late 19C the piazza was flooded every weekend in August, for the entertainment of the Romans (the nobles enjoyed the spectacle from their carriages).