An unbelievably kitsch affair of blowsy sea horses, conch shells, craggy rocks and proud sea gods with their tridents, the fountain has unfortunately descended into a detritus of tacky mass tourism. Don’t even think about recreating Anita Ekberg’s famous frolic in the fountain – carabinieri police the square around the clock to deter any wannabe divas. It’s best to creep by at night when the square is emptied of its glut of tourists and rose-peddlers, and listen to the pounding of the aqua vergine, brought from Emperor Agrippa’s 25km aqueduct, on the creamy travertine marble. The sculptor Bernini was originally commissioned to build the fountain, but the patron Pope Urban VII died before he could get started, so it was finally built by Nicolo Salvi for Pope Clement XII in 1762.