Barcaccia Fountain

The Barcaccia Fountain (Fountain of the Ugly Boat) is located in the very centre of Rome, exactly at the feet of the Spanish steps; so no need to add an extra pin to your itinerary as you’ll pass from here anyway!

The construction of the fountain was commissioned in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII after the works on Acqua Vergine aqueduct, that was supposed to feed the fountain, was finished.
It is interesting to know that at that time there was a cliff in place of the Spanish Steps. Pietro Bernini, father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo, was the architect chosen to design this fountain; the son would get involved only at a later stage.

The name “Barcaccia” is derived from the shape of the monument, a boat floating on an oval pool, and is not meant to be offensive towards this baroque sculpture. It rather refers to a historical boat from which the name was borrowed.
The basin is interestingly located below the level of the ground, because the pressure of the water was too low to create jets of water. Therefore, the architect had to lower the whole structure.
Recently restored, the Barcaccia fountain is usually surrounded by a crowd of tourists standing here for a photo or to find relief from the summer heat.