Fontana delle Palle di Cannone, Stone fountain in Vatican area, Rome, Italy

Fontana delle Palle di Cannone is a fountain on Via di Porta Castello in the Borgo district of Rome. It has a round arch bearing the city coat of arms and the letters S.P.Q.R.; beneath it, stone cannonballs are stacked in a pyramid around a maskaron spout. Water also flows from two cannonballs into two smaller basins on either side.

In 1925 the Governatorato di Roma commissioned Pietro Lombardi to make nine rione fountains, each expressing its district's character. His cannonball design recalls Castel Sant'Angelo nearby. The fountain first stood at the church of Sant'Angelo al Corridoio on Borgo Sant'Angelo and was moved a short distance to Via di Porta Castello in 1937.

The fountain takes its name from the stone spheres stacked like cannonballs, a nod to Castel Sant'Angelo's former role as a fortress. The round arch above them carries Rome's coat of arms with the letters S.P.Q.R., a detail visitors can spot from the street.

The fountain is located on Via di Porta Castello and is easy to find while exploring the neighboring streets. Water flows year-round, and there is enough space around it to stop and take photos.

The fountain was moved in 1937 from its original site by the church of Sant'Angelo al Corridoio on Borgo Sant'Angelo, a short distance to its present position on Via di Porta Castello. The relocation kept the cannonball pyramid and the S.P.Q.R. coat of arms intact.