t The market in Campo de’ Fiori
A lively square since medieval times, Campo de’ Fiori bursts with colour during the morning market, and again after dark when its restaurants and bars make it a centre of Roman nightlife.
t The market in Campo de’ Fiori
Occupying the site of a meadow in ancient times behind the vast structure of the Teatro di Pompeo, Campo de’ Fiori became the bustling, raffish – and at times rough – heart of Renaissance Rome, populated by artists, craftsmen and courtesans, and packed with cheap inns. Murders were not uncommon – Caravaggio killed his opponent on the piazza after losing a game of tennis, and the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini murdered a business rival on nearby Via della Moretta. Today the square is home to Rome’s most central fresh produce market between 7am and 1:30pm Monday to Saturday.
In the centre of Campo de’ Fiori is a statue of the philosopher Giordano Bruno. A former Catholic priest who dabbled in Calvinism and Lutheranism before being excommunicated by both, Bruno eventually concluded that philosophy and magic were superior to religion. He was tried for heresy and burned at the stake in 1600. His hooded statue is a grim reminder of the executions by the Inquisition that took place in the piazza.
Experience Campo de’ Fiori
t Statue of Giordano Bruno
Experience Campo de’ Fiori
In the 15th century the area around Campo de’ Fiori was full of inns, many of them owned by the successful courtesan Vanozza dei Catanei, mistress of Pope Alexander VI Borgia. On the corner of Campo de’ Fiori and Via del Pellegrino you can see Catanei’s shield, which she had decorated with her own coat of arms, along with those of both her husband and Borgia.
INSIDER TIP
The streets around the piazza, named for the medieval artisans who traded there, are lined with boutiques. One of the best is Via de’ Giubbonari (“jerkin- makers”), which has many chic clothes shops.