The fountain is called Barcaccia due to the particularity of its shape derived from the typical boats that sailed up the Tiber. The Barcaccia is the first fountain of the Vergine Aqueduct, the only one to have remained in continuous use until the modern age, and owes its underground position to the fact that the conduit delivers the water at a very low altitude. It was built in 1628-29 for Pope Urban VII Barberini. The works were directed by the sculptor Pietro Bernini. The degradation affecting the Barcaccia fountain has pushed the Municipality of Rome to include the restoration as part of the “Circuito Fountains of Rome” project.