Is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the Piazza Navona undergoing restoration right now? We will be in Rome one week from Saturday and I'm hoping that I'm wrong.

Yes, there is scaffoding on the bottom of the fountain. You can look thru the fence to see it but it wouldn't make a good picture.

I'll be there later during the summer. Any idea when the restoration will be done?

I can reiterate juliah's comment, we were there last wed - fri.
The fountain is almost unrecognizable. The only other place where I really remembered scafolding around major sites in rome is the obelisk at the top of the spanish steps, and all of the the monument to Victor Emanuel (wedding cake).

FYI
There is also scaffoding around Trajan's column.

In 1999 half the city was behind scaffolding and curtains in preparation for the millennium and Holy Year. Truly. But in Rome there is always something else around the corner. Unless you're making the trip to recreate a special memory at a site currently under renovation, don't worry about it.

Rome wasn't maintained in a day ...

Topping.

Any idea when the restoration is going to be completed?
I'll be staying at a hotel right next to Navona and I was looking forward to sitting in the Piazza looking at that beautiful Bernini.

Just searched aropund the net and couldn't find a clue about any projected date.

Quick update:

I googled around on the net for this and I found a news article dated early June of 2006 that announced the restoration. They said it would be a 12 month process. So it's supposed to be done in a little under 2 more months.

Both the Fountain and the Sant'Agnese in Agone church were covered with scaffolding when we were there last month. There are are few photos in my trip album:
http://tinyurl.com/yro37e

We still had an enjoyable time hanging out in the Piazza. It is so large that you can sit near one of the other two fountains and still have a lovely view.

Vinolover, excellent photo album!

It is reconstruction time in the art cities of Florence, Venice and Rome-many of the churches and the Piazza Navona fountain are under scaffolding now. If you go to Venice, you'll see the entire top half of La Salute-the landmark site of Venice, under scaffolding at the present time, as well as many churches. In Florence, a large swath of the Duomo is also under scaffolding.

Wow. The Salute and Duomo also have scaffolding right now?
Is this "reconstruction time" a yearly things? When does this usually occur?

Or is there some kind of large event coming up that is the reason why so many major monuments are being fixed up right now?

I can't recall ever being in Rome when there weren't dozens of sites -- churches, major buildings, fountains, etc -- covered with scaffolding and those mesh false facades they work behind. If they ever get that city done it will be wonderful. LOL

ah the mesh lol. I don't mind the building mock ups on the mesh, but those awful ads. Now there are more than even because the companies are paying for the reconstruction with them.

I love it when they paint that mesh to look like the actual facade. And I still marvel at standing in the gardens of the Linderhof in Germany as a woman was taking picture after picture. When I mentioned to her how disappointed I was that the repairs were going on, she looked at me and said, "well, it certainly doesn't show. The building is so spectacular". That's when I realized she had no idea she was photographing a building completely obscured by mesh painted to look like the real building.

That's great, NeoP ! As I mentioned above, in 99 half of Rome seemed to be under scaffold - in 2001, hardly anything was obscured. If I could take that 99 trip again I'd photograph all the scaffolding and then do it again later with the "finished" buildings.