Piazza Barberini

The piazza takes its name from the powerful Barberini family, whose sprawling palace nearby now houses part of Italy's national painting collection, including works by Caravaggio and Raphael. At its center, Bernini's Fontana del Tritone shows a muscular triton blowing water skyward through a conch shell, one of his most dynamic fountain designs. Today the square functions primarily as a busy road junction and metro stop, with heavy traffic diminishing some of its historic charm. It works best as a brief stop en route to the nearby Palazzo Barberini or the top of Via Veneto rather than a lingering destination.