Teatro delle Quattro Fontane

After the completion of Francesco Borromini's elliptical staircase, begun in April 1633, the theatre could also be reached directly from a vestibule.

However, as the south wing neared completion, and the Barberinis' theatrical ambitions grew, the need for a different, larger space became apparent.

Carriages could drop off guests at the door and wait on the terrace north of the palace or in the Piazza Barberini below.

[6] The theatre closed temporarily in 1642 at the height of the Barberini Wars of Castro with the Farnese Dukes of Parma which became incredibly expensive for the family and the Holy See.

[8] The only surviving image of the interior is an 1830 painting showing Pope Leo XII visiting the studio of Bertel Thorvaldsen, by which time it had been split into two floors and rented to the sculptor.