Piazza Barberini, Square in Rome, Italy

Piazza Barberini is a broad square in the center of Rome, paved with grey asphalt concrete and crossed by a lighter stone band. At its heart, a low ring of pale stone surrounds the Fontana del Tritone, where four sculpted figures support an open shell and a single jet of water rises and falls back in thin streams.

The square was laid out in the 16th century on the site of an ancient circus where floral games were held. In the 17th century, Cardinal Francesco Barberini bought the property and built the Palazzo Barberini, and Bernini's Triton Fountain was added in 1643.

The name comes from the Barberini family, whose palace faces the square and whose heraldic bees appear on the nearby Fontana delle Api. Today, the square is a meeting point and a starting point for walks along Via Veneto, the street made famous by Fellini's film La dolce vita.

The square is easy to reach on foot from nearby streets and is served by a metro station on Line A. When you visit, keep an eye on traffic as you cross, and take a moment to walk around the fountain for a closer look.

Until the 18th century, the square was used to display unidentified bodies so that people could recognize them. An ancient obelisk also stood here for nearly two centuries before being moved to the Villa Medici gardens in 1822.