Piazza Barberini "Bees"
The "Bees" in Piazza Barberini
The Triton Fountain had only just been built in the middle of the square when a cistern became necessary -- a place to collect the ample flow of water returning from the fountain, which would then be piped to "private individuals." In April 1644, almost a year after the fountain was completed, the Capitoline Council bought a room belonging to Nicolo Soderini beneath one of his houses in the square known as Barberini at Capo le Case, which forms a corner toward Strada Felice -- that is to say, the corner where the square meets what is now Via Sistina.
While this "reservoir" was being constructed, it was, as usual, proposed that a horse trough be made to accompany the ornamental fountain as, in those days, the troughs were to horses what our petrol stations are to cars. In his usual way, Bernini planned a trough for the same corner as the cistern, with a design particularly suited to the wonderful fountain in the center of the square. This was an enormous bi-valve shell whose horizontal half collected the water "disgorged" by three large bees sculpted against the open half of the shell, on which there was also an inscription in large letters, which you can still see on the present shell that was rebuilt some time ago at the corner of Via Veneto. It reads as follows: "Urban VIII Pont. Max., having built a fountain for the public ornamentation of the City [i.e. the Triton], also built this little fountain to be of service to private citizens. In the year 1644, XXI of his pontificate."
A point of interest about the date is that Bernini had put "XXII of his pontificate" instead of "XXI," which was not quite true: the fountain was inaugurated in June 1644, so it was still the 21st year of Urban's pontificate, which would not end until one and a half months later, in August.
This is how a contemporary diarist described the episode: "This month, June, a fountain was made at Capo le Case, in the square that used to be called after Duke Sforza, whose residence now belongs to the Barberini family. [The fountain] is in an angle giving onto the church of Trinità de' Monti. It was Cavalier Bernino the architect who had it made; in the inscription, he had it written that Pope Urban had built it in the XXII year of his pontificate, which 22nd year had not yet arrived but was only just over a month away. Someone stuck a piece of paper on the inscription, with the proverb: 'Better to be blind than to make a guess.'" This was seen and read by so many people that Cardinal Barberino sent a stonecutter to erase one of the figures and he left it as XXI. Many said that it was as if he had wished that Pope Urban would not arrive at his 22nd year.
Apart from this nasty piece of spite which, however, turned out to be true in a way -- for the Pope died on July 29, just eight days before that hoped-for 22nd year -- the inscription with the wrong year gave rise to many a "pasquinata." One in particular said, "that the Barberini had robbed the whole world and now they even wanted to rob time."
