Piazza Barberini

Piazza Barberini

Piazza Barberini is a large square in the center of Rome, originally laid out in the 16th century and named after the nearby Palazzo Barberini in 1625. The square is home to the famous Fountain of Triton and the Fountain of the Bees.

The Fountain of Triton (Fontana del Tritone) is a 17th-century fountain designed by the renowned Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and commissioned by Pope Urban VIII. Built between 1642 and 1643, its centerpiece is a muscular depiction of the young sea god Triton from Greco-Roman mythology, shaped like a merman with four dolphin tail fins. He leans back, arms raised, drinking from a conch shell from which water spurts. The figure is supported by four dolphins whose scaly tails feature the papal tiara and crossed keys along with the Barberini family’s bee emblem.

The Fountain of the Bees (Fontana delle Api) is a small fountain completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in April 1644. It features a marble seashell upon which three bees made from the same material are resting. The shell bears the inscription “Urban VIII, having built a fountain as a public ornament for the city, also made this little fountain for the use of the people. 1644, in the 21st year of his pontificate.” The “public ornament” refers to the Fountain of Triton, completed by Bernini the previous year.

Piazza Barberini

Must-visit reason: One of Rome’s most famous fountain squares

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Italy[Italy]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Lazio Region [Lazio Region]

City where the attraction is located: Rome [Rome]