A Guide to Campo dei Fiori, Rome, Italy
Visitors to Rome will want to make time to visit Campo dei Fiori, a rectangular piazza that is near Piazza Navona. This is one area of the city that comes alive with a morning marketplace every day. There are local football games in the afternoon along with sidewalk cafes and it is a well known meeting place for locals and visitors at night.
The ancient fountain called "la Terrina" once was the watering place for cattle, but today it is used to keep the flowers in the market fresh. Having flowers in the market is appropriate as it once was a meadow in the Middle Ages.
This space was largely unused in Ancient Rome as it was very close to the Tiber River which was prone to flooding. The meadow area was between the river and Pompey's Theatre, and it remained undeveloped until around the 15th century.
The Orsini moved into the area in the 13th century, yet it wasn't until the mid 1400s that the area was paved thanks to Pope Callixtus III. It was part of the improvement of rione Parione when the Orsini palace was rebuilt. The area became a place for commercial and street cultures, as can be seen from the names of the streets that surround the Campo dei Fiori. They represent hat makers, cross bow makers, coffer makers, tailors and key makers. Many important people traveled through the streets, going from the Basilica di San Giovanni and the Vatican. It is because of this traffic that the Campo became filled with inns, shops and hotels.
Campo dei Fiori was also the sight of many public capital punishments. There once was a gibbet that was a permanent fixture in the horse and cattle market area. They also burned several people for their beliefs in Campo dei Fiori square. Visitors to the area today will see a statue to one of the men, philosopher Giordano Bruno who was executed in the square in 1600.
Visitors that would like to stay near Campo dei Fiori will find the Hotel Teatro di Pompeo, which has been built on the old site of the Theatre of Pompey. It is also very close to the place that Julius Caesar was killed on the Ides of March. This hotel is decorated in the style of Italy, with hand painted tiles and beamed ceilings. Room sizes are small to medium sized but they each have their own small bathrooms. Guests can also partake in the breakfast buffet as part of the room rate.
If you would like to feel like part of an Italian extended family, take the time to visit Ristorante del Pallaro. The owner is the chef and she feeds you an eight course fixed price meal that will leave you totally satisfied. You will start with antipasto, then the pasta of the day with roast veal, white meatballs or sometimes fish. Potatoes, eggplant, mozzarella, fruit and a cake with a filling will complete your meal. For a true Italian experience visiting Campo dei Fiori will fill you with history, shopping and great food.
The ancient fountain called "la Terrina" once was the watering place for cattle, but today it is used to keep the flowers in the market fresh. Having flowers in the market is appropriate as it once was a meadow in the Middle Ages.
This space was largely unused in Ancient Rome as it was very close to the Tiber River which was prone to flooding. The meadow area was between the river and Pompey's Theatre, and it remained undeveloped until around the 15th century.
The Orsini moved into the area in the 13th century, yet it wasn't until the mid 1400s that the area was paved thanks to Pope Callixtus III. It was part of the improvement of rione Parione when the Orsini palace was rebuilt. The area became a place for commercial and street cultures, as can be seen from the names of the streets that surround the Campo dei Fiori. They represent hat makers, cross bow makers, coffer makers, tailors and key makers. Many important people traveled through the streets, going from the Basilica di San Giovanni and the Vatican. It is because of this traffic that the Campo became filled with inns, shops and hotels.
Campo dei Fiori was also the sight of many public capital punishments. There once was a gibbet that was a permanent fixture in the horse and cattle market area. They also burned several people for their beliefs in Campo dei Fiori square. Visitors to the area today will see a statue to one of the men, philosopher Giordano Bruno who was executed in the square in 1600.
Visitors that would like to stay near Campo dei Fiori will find the Hotel Teatro di Pompeo, which has been built on the old site of the Theatre of Pompey. It is also very close to the place that Julius Caesar was killed on the Ides of March. This hotel is decorated in the style of Italy, with hand painted tiles and beamed ceilings. Room sizes are small to medium sized but they each have their own small bathrooms. Guests can also partake in the breakfast buffet as part of the room rate.
If you would like to feel like part of an Italian extended family, take the time to visit Ristorante del Pallaro. The owner is the chef and she feeds you an eight course fixed price meal that will leave you totally satisfied. You will start with antipasto, then the pasta of the day with roast veal, white meatballs or sometimes fish. Potatoes, eggplant, mozzarella, fruit and a cake with a filling will complete your meal. For a true Italian experience visiting Campo dei Fiori will fill you with history, shopping and great food.
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