Piazza Barberini in Rome

The Piazza Barberini is a large piazza, or open square, in the center of Rome. Several major streets intersect the Piazza Barberini including Via Vittorio Veneto, Via Barberini, and Via Sestina. The Piazza Barberini is in close proximity to both the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. The location of the Piazza Barberini was originally known as the Piazza Grimani, after Cardinal Grimani who had both his villa and his vineyards in the area.

The Piazza Barberini in Rome dates from the 16th Century and is home to the famed Fontana del Tritone (the Triton Fountain) built in 1640 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (another famous Bernini fountain can be found nearby on Via Vittorio Veneto). The Fontana del Tritone was commisioned to honor Pope Urban VIII (perhaps the most famous member of the Barberini family). Construction of the Piazza Barberini was begun by Carlo Maderno and completed by Bernini himself.

The Piazza Barberini is also home to the Italian National Gallery of Art which houses many important works by artists such as Reuben, El Greco, Raphael, Caravagio, Tintoretto and Simone Martini. On a more peculiar note, the Piazza Barberini, until the 18th century, was where human corpses where set out for public display and identification . An antique obelisk was to be found at the Piazza Barberini from 1632 to 1822, but the Obelisk has since been moved to Villa Medici. Additionally, the Piazza Barberini is also (since 1980) has been a stop on Line A of the Rome Metro