Fontana della Barcaccia (the Boat Fountain, at the base of the Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) in the Piazza di Spagna, designed by Pietro Bernini (the father of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the more famous son) and completed in 1627 on the commission of Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini, the pope who also commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini for the Baldacchino in St Peter's, the Palazzo Barberini, and the renovation of the Castel Sant'Angelo): the fountain that is simultaneously the most photographed single fountain in Rome (the specific position at the base of the most photographed Roman staircase) and the most technically ingenious fountain solution in the city's hydraulic history.
The engineering problem: the Acqua Vergine aqueduct (the ancient Roman aqueduct of Agrippa, 19 BC, that supplies the Trevi Fountain and the Piazza di Spagna fountain system) arrives at the Piazza di Spagna at a specific pressure level determined by the aqueduct source elevation (the Salone springs, 21km east of Rome at 24m above sea level): the pressure is sufficient to supply a ground-level fountain but insufficient to supply the jet-and-basin fountain that the conventional 17th-century Roman fountain design requires (the jet fountain needs pressure to lift the water above the basin rim). Pietro Bernini's solution: design the fountain below ground level (the sunken boat, the barcaccia sinking into the piazza surface) so that the water overflows the low-pressure basin rather than failing to jet, the technical constraint (the low pressure) becomes the aesthetic program (the overflowing boat).
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Fontana della Barcaccia: Design, Attribution, and Damage
The Design Details
Fontana della Barcaccia design elements (the specific iconographic program of the fountain): the two boat forms (the central boat-basin, sunken below the piazza surface, from which the water overflows, and the smaller stern and prow boats at each end of the elliptical basin from which the sun-face jets spray): the specific Barberini bees (the three bees of the Barberini family coat of arms, visible on the bow and stern decorations, the same Barberini heraldic program that appears on the baldacchino in St Peter's and on the many Urban VIII commissions in Rome): the bees as the specific Urban VIII signature that the Barberini patronage program inscribed on every major commission.
Fontana Della Barcaccia: tours & tickets
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See availability & prices →Compare tours on Viator →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.The Attribution Debate
The Barcaccia attribution (the specific question of whether the fountain was designed by Pietro Bernini (the father) or Gian Lorenzo Bernini (the then 29-year-old son)): the historical documentation (the payment records to Pietro Bernini as the primary sculptor, the specific design documents that survive in the Archivio di Stato) supports the Pietro Bernini attribution for the conception and the primary design. The art historical tradition (the tendency to attribute all the Bernini commissions in the Urban VIII period to the son who became the more famous) has sometimes assigned the Barcaccia to Gian Lorenzo, the current consensus credits Pietro as the primary designer with possible workshop collaboration from Gian Lorenzo.
The 2015 Damage and Restoration
The February 2015 Barcaccia vandalism incident: the Dutch Feyenoord football fans who tore stone fragments from the Barcaccia during a Champions League match in Rome produced an immediate police and cultural authority response (the specific 2015 Roman and Dutch diplomatic incident), a €25,000 damage assessment, and the next decision to protect the fountain during high-risk events (the now-standard practice of placing metal barriers around the Barcaccia for major football events in Rome). The fountain was restored and fully operational by April 2015.
Q&A: Fontana della Barcaccia
Can I drink from the Fontana della Barcaccia?
Yes, the Fontana della Barcaccia water comes from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct (the same water source as the Trevi Fountain) which is potable and traditionally considered Rome's best drinking water (the specific mineral profile of the Salone springs produces the water that the Romans have considered superior since Agrippa's original aqueduct). The specific Barcaccia drinking experience: the water overflows from the central boat basin at a gentle flow that makes the edge of the basin the most natural drinking point, cup your hands at the basin edge. The water is cold year-round (the Acqua Vergine maintains a consistent 14-15°C at the Piazza di Spagna delivery point regardless of the ambient temperature).
Internal Links
- Bernini Roma: La Barcaccia nel Circuito
- Pietro e Gian Lorenzo Bernini: Le Opere
- Piazza di Spagna: La Barcaccia e il Condotti
- Fotografare la Barcaccia: Alba alla Scalinata
- Acqua Vergine: L'Acquedotto di Agrippa
- Piazza di Spagna in Inverno: La Barcaccia Senza Folla
- Roma Barocca: I Segreti della Barcaccia
