Look for the bees! and other Rome, Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

Remember the "B's" of the Baroque: Bernini, Borromini, and their patron, Barberini (aka Pope Urban VIII). You can find evidence of this trio all over Rome, but the three bees on the Barberini coat of arms are the tipoff. You can find them everywhere from the Vatican to Trastevere to the Quirinal, but make sure to visit Piazza Barberini at the foot of Via Veneto.

Here you will find Fontana de Tritone (the Triton fountain). If you ever forget who designed the fountain, look at the photo! The coat of arms with the bees is at the base of the fountain. Also if you look at the northeast corner of the piazza, you will find my favorite fountain in Rome, Fontana delle Api (Fountain of the Bees). For some reason this fountain just says "Rome" to me.

If you are ambitious, walk up Via delle Quattro Fontana and look into Palazzo Barberini, which you will probably recognize from "Roman Holiday." Continue to the four fountains at the top of the hill and visit Borromini's masterpiece, the tiny San Carlo alle Quattro Fontana, one of the most exquisite churches in Rome. Borromini made the dome glow with light and the dove of the Holy Spirit appears to float in mid air.

You can do all of this in under an hour- it's a short walk from the Barberini metro stop... Ever wonder why they called it that? Now you know.

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