Campo dei Mori square. Itinerary in Rome: Campo de' Fiori and the Jewish Ghetto Square of Flowers in Rome
Campo dei Fiori is a square in Rome, located south of Piazza Navona on the border of the Parione and Regola districts. Nearby are the palaces of Palazzo della Cancelleria and Palazzo Farnese. The name of the square is translated from Italian as "flower field" - in the Middle Ages, this place really was a meadow.
In ancient Rome, the territory of the modern square remained unused, since the often overflowing Tiber flows nearby. However, already in the 13th century, the first buildings began to appear here, although for another two centuries the area did not have much importance. Under Pope Boniface IX (1389-1404), the first church was built - Santa Brigida a Campo dei Fiori, which now stands next to Piazza Farnese. In 1456, on the initiative of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisani, the territory of Campo dei Fiori was paved as part of a large project to beautify the entire Parione area. At the same time, several important buildings were erected in the vicinity of the square, for example, the Palazzo Orsini and the Renaissance palace of the Palazzo della Cancelleria.
Campo dei Fiori has never had a definite form from an architectural point of view, the square has always been a center of trade and street culture. The names of the streets diverging from it are also associated with trade: Via dei Ballestrari (street of crossbow makers), Via dei Baullari (street of chest makers), Via dei Cappellari (street of hatters), Via dei Chiavari (street of key makers) and Via dei Giubbonari (street of tailors) .
In the second half of the 15th century, Campo dei Fiori became part of the so-called Papal Way, Via Papale, which connected the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano and the Vatican. It was along this road that the newly elected Pope of Rome traveled from the basilica to his residence in the Vatican in order to "take over the city." The appearance of Via Papale brought prosperity to the area - a horse market was open twice a week on the square, and numerous inns, hotels and shops appeared in the area. The most famous of the inns, the "Taverna della Vacca", still stands on the corner of Campo dei Fiori. It once belonged to Vannozza dei Cattanei, mistress of Alexander VI Borgia. The family coat of arms of Cattaneya is preserved on the facade of the tavern.
In 1600, the philosopher Giordano Bruno was publicly executed on the square - he was burned alive along with all his books, included in the list of prohibited by the Holy Inquisition. And almost three centuries later, at the place of execution of Giordano Bruno, a monument was erected by Ettore Ferrari - the philosopher boldly looks towards the Vatican. In the first days after the unification of Italy, this monument was perceived as a monument to a martyr for freedom of thought.
Since 1869, vegetable and fish markets have been regularly operating on Campo dei Fiori, sometimes local football players compete in agility here, and at night the square becomes a meeting place for tourists and residents of Rome.
The "Flower" square began to be built up in the 13th century, when the first houses of artisans and merchants grew on the former wasteland. There was no building plan either at that time or later, therefore, up to the present day, there is no single architectural ensemble here.
The most notable building in this place is the Cancelleria Palace (Palazzo della Cancelleria) founded at the end of the 15th century, the author of which was Bramante himself (he also designed the Church of St. Peter in). This building originally belonged to Cardinal Riario, but after the owner was accused of conspiracy, it became the property of the church and turned into an office.
Interesting: it is believed that Cardinal Rafael Riario was a gambler, and he built the palace to win a card game.
There are dark pages in the history of this interesting corner. In the Middle Ages, executions took place here, and today a statue of Giordano Bruno marks the place where the great scientist was burned.
How to get to Campo de' Fiori
Campo de' Fiori is located almost in the center of the city, in the Parion district, not far from the Tiber embankment. Nearest metro stations: Lepanto on the red line A or Colosseo on the blue line B (the distance in both cases is about 2 kilometers).
The exact address: Piazza Campo de' Fiori, 00186 Roma RM, Italy.
How to get from Termini Station:
Option 1
On foot: distance about 3 kilometers, go through Via Nazionale and Piazza Venezia.
Option 2
Bus: take line 70 to Rinascimento stop or line 64 to C.so Vittorio Emanuele for about 15 minutes.
On foot: from any of the stops the distance is about 350 meters.
Campo de' Fiori on the map
What to see
If you come to Campo dei Fiori in the morning, you can find a large and noisy market here. It is open daily, except Sunday, from 06:00 to 14:00. Locals flock here to buy farm products: cheese, vegetables and fruits, fresh fish. Therefore, it is best to visit this place twice: during the day - for the sake of delicious food and real Italian flavor, and in the evening - to see its second face.
Campo de' Fiori is the daily and most popular market in Rome under open sky since 1869
However, if you want to feel the atmosphere of the old place of executions, you should only come for this at night, because, according to legend, the sign of the executed Giordano Bruno wanders here at night. But in the evenings, the square is almost always crowded: young people like to gather near the monument, and numerous pubs and cozy restaurants are usually full of visitors. This is a lively place, which is very popular due to the numerous clubs, shops, antique shops and cafes.
Interesting: on the facade of the Taverna della Vacca restaurant, you can still see the old coat of arms of the Cattanei family, who owned this building since the 15th century.
Virtual tour
The Campo dei Fiori square, although not the largest or most beautiful in Rome, still has its own special atmosphere. It will interest those who independently think over the route through the Eternal City, trying to see not only its tourist side, but also places that the Romans themselves love. However, there are also many sights around: just a 10-minute walk from here is Piazza Navona, the Sapienza Palace, the Palazzo Capponi Museum and much more.
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Campo dei Mori is a square located in the northern part of Venice, in the Cannaregio quarter, about 100 yards from the Delle Navi canal, which separates the northern coast of Venice from the "mainland". Today it is a quiet remote place where tourists are not often seen, and in the distant past, Campo dei Mori was the center of a thriving commune. Next to it were marinas and shipyards, where most of the visitors and cargo from the "mainland" arrived. The very word "mori" on Italian means "Moors", but it is reliably known that the territory of Campo was never inhabited by immigrants from North Africa. The name of the square probably comes from the Mastelli brothers - Rioba, Sandi and Afani, who arrived from the Peloponnesian city of Morea and settled in Venice in the 12th century. On the corner of the square, which is parallel to the canal, you can see the statue of one of the brothers, Señor Antonio Rioba. The missing nose of the statue was once replaced with an unsightly metal brace. Two other brothers, dressed in national costumes, stand at the doors of their houses, one of which faces the square, and the other south coast Rio Madonna del Orto.
The Mastelli brothers were successful entrepreneurs and invested a lot of money in the Fourth Crusade, whose participants in 1204 sacked Constantinople on their way to the Holy Land. Mastelli and other "sponsors" of the campaign later divided the booty among themselves, returning their investments.
Palazzo Mastelli faces the canal Rio Madonna del Orto and is located directly opposite the church of the same name, standing on the other side of the canal. The palace is popularly known as the "Camel House" because of the decorative bas-reliefs on the facade depicting a camel loaded with goods. The Mastelli commissioned this bas-relief because it was through the importation of African and Arabian spices that they made their fortune. Despite the clear signs of their presence, the Mastelli were not the most famous inhabitants of the Campo dei Mori. This honor belongs to the artist Jacopo Robusti, who is better known as Tintoretto ("little dyer"). Tourists without fail inspect the house in which he spent the last 20 years of his life, and on which a corresponding memorial plaque was installed at the end of the 19th century. The house itself is now privately owned and closed to the public.
An excellent opportunity to see how the center of Rome lives and its locals- Walk through the city market. From Monday to Saturday, until one in the afternoon, it becomes especially noisy and colorful in the Campo dei Fiori square. From early morning, the lively cries of merchants begin to be heard here, the roar of mopeds, the clinking of bottles and the shuffling of wooden boxes are heard. On the counters, tightly surrounded by the statue of Giordano Bruno (the brave monk, philosopher and poet, burned here at the stake by the Roman Inquisition in 1600), a variety of food is laid out: tender peaches, bunches of young asparagus, bags of dried herbs, bottles of olive oil and jars of pesto, boxes of pasta and plastic cups of chopped fruit.
Cheerful vendors joke around and offer a piece of cheese or grapes, and one of them does something incredible with a regular paring knife, carving spirals from potatoes and zucchini called “Necklace for your Signora”. At noon, morning sounds are replaced by the streak of a broom, the noise of overturning garbage cans and the characteristic squeak of cleaning equipment. The square is preparing for its evening role as a cheerful open-air beer bar. The rolling conversation of hundreds of cafe visitors will sound until late at night, and through it sometimes no-no and the loud laughter of the most uncontrollable merry fellows will break through.
NAVONA SQUARE (PIAZZA NAVONA)
Piazza Navona, a gem of the Roman Baroque, adorns the center of Rome. In the middle of the square rises the famous fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini (1648-1651), decorated with allegorical sculptures of the Danube, Ganges, Nile and La Plata, which symbolize, respectively, Europe, Asia, Africa and America. In the center of the fountain is an Egyptian obelisk with hieroglyphs from the circus of Maxentius, its height is 16.53 meters. In the southern part of the square is the fountain of the Moor by Bernini (1654), and in the northern part is the fountain of Neptune, which was built and rebuilt for almost a hundred years, until it began to match the style of the square. Such masters as Della Porta, Bernini and Bita, who carved a statue of Neptune in 1878, took part in its construction.
Piazza Navona, with its magnificent baroque palazzos and stunning fountains, street cafes and shops, is always full of life. On weekends and in the evenings, the square is especially fun and crowded - mimes, street performers of all kinds and stripes, artists with easels and finished paintings, countless tourists ..
PANTHEON
TREVI FOUNTAIN (FONTANA DI TREVI)
This fountain occupies almost the entire area and is considered one of the most famous fountains in the world. The very name of the fountain means tre vie - "three roads" - which converge at this point. Above a huge staircase on a shell-cart drawn by sea horses driven by two tritons, stands the Ocean, and in the niches are statues of Welfare and Healing, whose gifts water brings us. By the way, this water that feeds the Trevi Fountain comes from the aqua virgo spring - an underground aqueduct that was built back in the 1st century BC. The fountain adjoins the façade of the Palazzo Poli, the second floor of which was rented by Princess Volkonskaya in the 1830s. In Fellini's film La Dolce Vita, there is an unforgettable scene in which Anita Ekberg, in a tight black dress, bathes in the Trevi Fountain and the incomparable Marcello Mastroianni leads her out of the waters of the fountain.
There is a belief that a coin thrown into the fountain with the right hand over the left shoulder ensures an indispensable return to The eternal City. So, during the day, about 3,000 euros worth of coins are thrown into the Trevi Fountain, which are then collected and transferred to the Caritas Catholic Charitable Foundation. During the day, the fountain is very crowded, so we advise you to come here in the late afternoon or early morning.
SPAIN SQUARE (PIAZZA DI SPAGNA)
The next point on the route is the prestigious area of Piazza di Spagna and the so-called Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti), consisting of 138 steps leading to the Church of Trinita dei Monti (Chiesa della Trinita dei Monti). In spring, flowering azaleas decorate the stairs, and in summer, a high fashion festival is held here: long-legged fashion models defile on the feet, demonstrating outfits from famous couturiers. In winter, the attention of tourists is attracted by Christmas "nativity scenes" - scenes and compositions depicting the Holy Family. And at any time of the year, from the upper terrace of the Spanish Steps opens great view, which is especially good in the rays of sunset. From here you can see the entire Via Condotti, a sophisticated street of boutiques and expensive restaurants. On the square, at the foot of the stairs, there is the Barcaccia fountain (La Barcaccia, Boat, 1629). It was created by Pietro Bernini, the father of the famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who managed to use the low speed of flowing water and construct a semblance of a half-submerged boat.
The Plaza de España area is considered to be the center of Roman shopping. It is here that the boutiques of most of the most famous Italian and European designer brands are located. In addition to shops of famous brands, here you can find many small shops stuffed with various interesting things.
By the way, at the very beginning of the main shopping street of Via Condotti there is a legendary Roman cafe - CaffeGreco (Via Condotti, 86, www.anticocaffegreco.eu), founded back in 1760. The cafe is incredibly proud of its customers: at its tables in different time sat Casanova, Goethe, Byron, Stendhal, Liszt, Wagner, Baudelaire and many other famous personalities. From 1838 to 1842 almost daily late in the morning one could meet Gogol here over a cup of coffee and, perhaps, some heads of Dead Souls were born right at the table, which is lower than his portrait. Inside the cafe there is a luxurious interior and unique autographs on the walls. Among the 300 original paintings and portraits that adorn the walls of the cafeteria, in the right hall of the Omnibus is an oval medallion with a portrait of Nikolai Vasilyevich. Unfortunately, today in CaffeGreco for a cup of rather ordinary espresso by Roman standards, they will ask for 4.70 euros, and it is likely that this cup will have to wait. Such is the "retribution" for the legendary place and the company of historical figures.
They say the truth - if you want to see Rome, move away from the Trevi Fountain, for example, towards the Square of Flowers.
Yes, and there is a reason to write about this attraction today. Indeed, on February 17, 1600, at this place with such a romantic name, a great man was burned alive - Giordano Bruno, a scientist whose knowledge was several centuries ahead of the primitive and dark time in which he lived.
Therefore, I propose small excursion along the Campo dei Fiori - part of historical Rome.
By the way, Bruno is not the only martyr whom flower square let them have a barbecue. In the Middle Ages, many victims of the Inquisition were tortured at this place.
If you are not very superstitious and the energy of the execution does not bother you, then you can have a good time on this small patch.
Life there is seething around the clock: from morning to evening there is a brisk trade, and when the sellers roll up the tents, the area is filled with tourists and other party-goers. Among other things, they like to arrange famous Italian aperitifs here, and there are a lot of clubs around.
It is worth warning right away that Piazza Campo de "Fiori is not the cheapest market in the city, but not the most expensive either, because locals also go there.
However, tourists are not housewives, right? If guests of the city visit the market, then they do it not in order to load bags with food and scratch at home.
In the markets they catch the color, get acquainted with the real life of the city and just stare around.
You can buy a portion of freshly cut fruit mix and “peck” juicy slices while walking between the rows, you can have breakfast on the veranda of a nearby restaurant and watch the fuss from afar, or you can buy flowers and lay them at the monument to the executed monk, which stands in the center of this square and seems to looks at everyone.
Here are the cases: a square was erected on the site of a flower field to kill people, so that later they could trade flowers again .... Everything returns to normal.
