Campo de’ Fiori

Explore the famous flower market at Campo de’ Fiori.

Wander among the bright colors and light floral scents of Rome’s favorite produce market. Campo de’ Fiori is home to a lively market by day and an equally vibrant atmosphere at night.

Highlights

• Browse the stalls of Campo de’ Fiori’s iconic flower market.
• Taste some of the freshest produce in Rome from one of the market’s many vendors.
• When the sun sets, and the market stalls are cleared away, soak up the lively ambiance of bars, cafes, and restaurants all around the square.

What to See and Do 

Here’s a quick overview of what to expect from a visit to Campo de’ Fiori:

The Market

The bustling morning market at Campo de’ Fiori is an iconic symbol of everyday life in Rome. It has famously featured on the big screen, most prominently in the 1940s Italian film ‘The Peddler and the Lady’.

Italian produce is world-renowned for its freshness and richness in flavor; here, you can shop among the locals and sample it yourself. The market is a vivid burst of sights, sounds, and smells and a lively snapshot of Roman life.

You can buy some locally grown fruit, buy ingredients to cook at home, or leave the market with nothing at all – it’s worth visiting regardless. 

Campo de’ Fiori’s flower market is a splash of color against the cobblestones and is one of the best sensory experiences in Rome. Step off the beaten track of the main tourist stomping grounds and weave between the market stalls of the Eternal City’s favorite flower market.

Statue of Giordano Bruno

This imposing and solemn statue has stood in the center of the square for over a century – it was erected in 1889 to commemorate the life and death of the philosopher Giordano Bruno. 

The Italian Dominican friar was executed at the spot where the statue now stands by order of the Catholic Church. His cosmological theories about the shape of the universe, which included the idea that the universe was infinite and that stars were distant suns, were against the teachings of the Church, and he was burned at the stake for heresy.

Today he is celebrated both for his scientific learnings and willingness to stand against the Catholic Church – the statue faces towards the Vatican in the ultimate show of defiance.

Watch a Movie in Cinema Farnese

A classic Italian cinema nestled in a setting made famous in films: Campo de’ Fiori’s 1930 Cinema Farnese is one of the oldest movie theatres in Rome. It’s an old-school, classic cinema – they play a string of independent films alongside blockbuster movies here; it’s the perfect place to kick back and relax while you embrace some of the more modern arts on show in Italy.

Fountain of Campo de’ Fiori

While the original fountain of Campo de’ Fiori was moved to piazza della Chiesa Nuova to make room for the statue of Giordano Bruno, it was replaced in 1898 by the fountain we see today.

It may not be the most impressive fountain in Rome – which has perhaps the fiercest competition of any city in the world – but it still adds to the ambiance of the square. With over a hundred years of standing in a square famous for its food market, it’s hard to imagine the amount of fruit that must have been washed in it!

Enjoy the Nightlife

Once the market stalls have been cleared away, the square takes a breather before becoming a hub of excitement once again at dusk.

Campo de’ Fiori’s famously vivacious atmosphere doesn’t disappear when the stalls have been packed away. People gather in the square to enjoy the evening, and the restaurants and bars around Campo de’ Fiori are some of the best in the center of Rome. The square has great energy in the evening and is a meeting point frequented by tourists and locals alike.

Map & Directions (Location)

Campo de’ Fiori is only a few minutes south of Piazza Navona and is even closer to the neighboring Piazza Farnese. It is located in central Rome, within easy walking distance from the sights of the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.

Public transport links to this largely pedestrianized area are quite limited, as the metro is too far away to be useful (the nearest stop is by the Colosseum). You can, however, catch the bus to C.So Vittorio Emanuele/Navona, which is close by and is served by a number of buses, including numbers 46, 62, and 64.

Did You Know That: 3 Interesting Facts 

1. Campo de’ Fiori is Italian for ‘field of flowers’, a name which derives from the field of wildflowers that once stood where the square is now located.
   
   
2. While it is today known for its fresh food and flower markets, the square once had a more sinister purpose: it was the site of public executions.
   
   
3. The prominent statue in Campo de’ Fiori is of Giordano Bruno, the 16th-century philosopher and Italian Dominican friar. He was executed in the square for his scientific theories, namely that the universe was infinite and that stars were distant suns, each with their own solar systems.

History

To learn a little more about the history of this famous square, read a brief timeline of its most significant events:

• Pre-15th century. What we know today as Campo de’ Fiori is a meadow of wildflowers deemed too close to the flood-prone banks of the Tiber to be useful.
  
  
• 1456. Ludovico Cardinal Trevisani, on the orders of Pope Callixtus III to improve the area, paves over the meadow to create the square.
  
  
• 1600. Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy, the most famous of the many executions to take place here. 
  
  
• 1858. The Campo de’ Fiori was enlarged after the demolition of a block of houses.
  
  
• 1869. The first of Campo de’ Fiori’s daily food markets is held. 
  
  
• 1889. The statue of Giordano Bruno is erected on the site of his execution, facing towards the Vatican to show his defiance.
  
  
• 1898. A new fountain is built in the square, replacing the historic fountain that had been moved to piazza della Chiesa Nuova to make room for the Giordano Bruno statue.

FAQs

Address: Campo de' Fiori, Campo de' Fiori , 00186 Roma, Italy · view larger map