Campo de' Fiori

A view of Campo de' Fiori with the monument to Giordano Bruno in the centre

Campo de' Fiori is an informal rectangular piazza near Piazza Navona in Rome, on the edge of rione Parione (at 41°53′44.16″N 12°28′19.80″E) The houses along the right side of the Campo (illustration right) are in Rione Regola (Piperno). Campo de' Fiori means "field of flowers", a reminder of its nature as a grassy space in the Middle Ages. A "Flora", a woman loved by Pompey, who built his theater close to the square, is probably imaginary: the name is medieval rather than ancient.

In Ancient Rome this was informal leftover space between Pompey's Theatre and the flood-prone Tiber. Though the Orsini established themselves on the south flank of the space in the 13th century, until the 15th century the square was only grass. The first church here was built during the pontificate of Boniface IX (1389-1404), Santa Brigida a Campo de'Fiori; with the building-up of the rione, the church has come to face that part of the former Campo that is now Piazza Farnese. In 1456 under Pope Callixtus III, Ludovico Cardinal Trevisani paved the area: this was part of a greater project of improvement of the rione Parione. This renewal was both result and cause of several important buildings being built in the surroundings; in particular, the Orsini palace on Campo de' Fiori was rebuilt. The Renaissance Palazzo della Cancelleria can be seen in Vasi's etching, rising majestically beyond the far right corner of the Campo.

Campo de' Fiori itself has never been architecturally formalized: the illustration above shows that the edge of the façade of the 17th-century Palazzo Pio offers no finished formal front in the direction of the Campo. Instead, the square has always remained a focus for commercial and street culture: the surrounding streets are named for trades—Via dei Balestrari (crossbow-makers), Via dei Baullari (coffermakers), Via dei Cappellari (hatmakers), Via dei Chiavari (Keymakers) and Via dei Giubbonari (tailors). With new access streets pierced by Sixtus IV— Via Florea and Via Pellegrino— the square became a necessary corridor for important people passing between the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and the Vatican, thus bringing wealth to the area: a flourishing horse market took place twice a week (Monday and Saturday) and a lot of inns, hotels and shops came to be sited in Campo de' Fiori.

Looking in the opposite direction: Campo de' Fiori in the 1740s, etching by Giuseppe Vasi

Capital punishments were executed in Campo de' Fiori: in Vasi's etching the tall permanent gibbet stands in the horse and cattle market. Here, 17 February 1600, the philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt alive by the Roman Inquisition because of his ideas. To remember him, in 1887 Ettore Ferrari dedicated him a monument in the same square: he stands with his back square to the Vatican, reinterpreted in the first days of a reunited Italy as a martyr to freedom of speech.

The demolition in 1858 of a block of housing elarged Campo de' Fiori. Since 1869 in Campo de' Fiori there is a vegetable and flower market during the mornings. The ancient fountain called the Terrina (the "soupbowl") that once watered cattle, resited in 1889, now keeps flowers fresh. Its inscription: FA DEL BEN E LASSA DIRE ("Do well and let them talk") suits the gossip of the marketplace. In the afternoon, local games of football give way to set-ups for outdoor cafés. At night Campo de' Fiori is a favorite meeting place for young people, both Italians and foreigners.

External links

• Robert M. Baron, "Campo di Fiori": urbanistic competence and street theatre in the situationist city
• Campo de' Fiori: images
• Santa Brigida a Campo de' Fiori
• Roberto Piperno, "Piazza di Campo dei Fiori"