Fontana delle Api, Baroque fountain in Piazza Barberini, Rome, Italy.
The fountain consists of a large travertine shell that opens like a bivalve mollusk, with three detailed bronze bees positioned on the upper valve that spout water into the basin below.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed this fountain in 1644 under Pope Urban VIII Barberini's commission, originally serving as a public water trough for horses in the square.
The three bees represent the heraldic symbol of the Barberini family, connecting the fountain directly to papal power and serving as a permanent reminder of Urban VIII's patronage.
The fountain is located at the entrance to Via Veneto from Piazza Barberini and remains accessible to visitors twenty-four hours daily without entrance fees.
After being dismantled in 1880 and stored for thirty-five years, the fountain was reconstructed in 1915 by sculptor Adolfo Apolloni using different materials than the original.
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