This is an incredibly historic square, and certainly, in terms of art history, a must-see. Beautiful it undoubtedly is - the fountains and the church are beautiful. But there are times when you wish that the crowds wouldn't be there because, when you have tourists, you have street sellers of all kinds. The worst ones being of course the singers when you are trying to take in the majesty of the art and architecture, which can be difficult when you have a 10-year-old boy shouting out "O sole mio" at the top of his voice.
However, to address the sculpture and architecture, the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini is truly magnificent. It is easy to see how Bernini managed to get back in favour with Pope Innocent X. On the northern side of the fountain are the figures of the Nile, with its head covered, and the Plate, with the bald head and looking primitive. On the southern side is the noble and classical-looking Danube with the horse and the Ganges on the opposite side from the church and a lion bending down to drink from the water. The creature taking the overflow from the fountain is a sea-creature, and not a dolphin as everyone suspects - Bernini did actually know what a dolphin looked like! Be careful while you wonder at the masterpiece, though, as you may find yourself the victim of a pickpocket.