Piazza Barberini

The Piazza Barberini, built in 1625 on the orders of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, is located at the end of Via Venetto. It is particularly striking due to the two fountains built by Bernini.

A short distance from the square is the Palazzo Barberini, a splendid Baroque palace that houses the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica.

Fontana del Tritone

The Fountains of Piazza Barberini

In the centre of the square stands the Fontana del Tritone, sculpted in 1643. Four dolphins hold up Triton, god of the sea, as he makes a jet of water shoot forth from a seashell. The fountain, made of travertine (sedimentary rock), is one of Bernini’s most notable.

A bit hidden in one of the corners of the square is the Fontana delle Api (Fountain of the Bees), which is one of Bernini’s more modest works. Built in 1644 in honour of Pope Urban VIII, the fountain is decorated with large bees, which are the emblem of the Barberini family.

Location

Plaza Barberini.

Transport

Metro: Barberini, line A (orange).
Bus: lines 52, 53, 56, 58, 58, 60, 61, 95, 116, 175, 492, and 590.

Map

Closest attractions

Palazzo Barberini (0.06 miles)
Our Lady of the Conception (0.1 miles)
Piazza del Quirinale (0.33 miles)
Trevi Fountain (0.34 miles)
Keats-Shelley House (0.35 miles)

Hotels nearby

Bernini Bristol
(0.02 miles)
Hotel Barocco
(0.02 miles)
AT Residence
(0.03 miles)
Affittacamere La Dolce Vita Barberini
(0.03 miles)