CAMPO DE’ FIORI

Description

Essentials about Campo de’ Fiori in brief

Campo de’ Fiori (“Field of Flowers”) is one of the most charming squares in the center of Rome. It is located in the Parione district, not far from Piazza Navona and the Tiber River. Every morning (except Sundays), Piazza Campo de’ Fiori is transformed into a picturesque, colorful marketplace. Here you can buy fresh vegetables, fruits, all kinds of herbs, legumes, meat, poultry, fish, bread and cheese from farmers – and flowers, of course. In addition, the Campo de’ Fiori is a good place to have a beer or a glass of wine in the evening in one of the numerous pubs and wine bars.

The name “Campo de’ Fiori”

Campo de’ Fiori is one of the few squares in Rome that is not associated with any significant building. In 1869, the then flower market in Piazza Navona was closed and moved to the “Campo” (meaning “field”). There is a misconception that this is how the square got its name. But this is wrong, its name comes from its original appearance. In the Middle Ages, before the Romans built a horse market on the present site, there was a field with many flowers.

The statue of Giordano Bruno

The most striking structure of the square is the statue of philosopher and astronomer Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake there in 1600, standing in its center. In the 16th century, Bruno was one of the proponents of the new, heliocentric worldview and postulated the infinity of space and the eternal duration of the universe. He thus opposed the geocentric world view advocated by the Catholic Church. Much more seriously, however, his pantheistic theses of an infinite material world left no room for an afterlife, since the temporal beginninglessness of the universe excluded a creation and its eternal existence a Last Judgment. Bruno was consequently found guilty of heresy and magic by the Inquisition and sentenced to death.

Gastronomy and entertainment on Campo de’ Fiori

In addition to the market activity during the day, Campo de’ Fiori is now also a busy meeting place every evening. In recent years, numerous wine bars, pubs and taverns have settled here. Street performers and musicians also provide entertainment.