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This is one of the busiest and most picturesque squares in Rome. The name goes back to the Middle Ages and simply means Square Field of Flowers. In the centre stands the menacing statue of Giordano Bruno, a monk who was bured for heresy.
The Campo dei Fiori is one of the most popular meeting places for young people and at night the many bars are filled with people drinking wine at tables in the open in the warm evening air.
Every weekday morning from an early hour the square is full of market stalls selling everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to clothes, Italian produce of all kinds, bags and ceramics.
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The Piazza is not so much a Square but a long narrow circular rectangle whose shape corresponds to that of the stadium of the Roman Emperor Domitian which once stood there. In the basement of the houses and restaurants which surround the square, it is still possible to see the well preserved foundations of the seats of the Roman stadium. The whole square is filled with excellent restaurants and bars where you can sit and watch the activity of the Piazza which goes on until the early hours of every morning.
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The square is one of the most famous and fascinating places throughout the world and the steps are a favourite meeting place for all Romans. The beautiful church at the top of the steps – the Trinita dei Monti – was built in French territory and from the upper terrace there is a fabulous view of the City. The famous streets which lead down from the Piazza are full of the greatest known names of fashion and you can spend hours there shopping or just window shopping.
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The quarter surrounding the great church of St Peter’s is known as the Borgo. Its foundation is attributed to a King of Wessex in England who abdicated in order to live in Rome in 726 AD. The obelisk in front of St Peter’s is one of the great landmarks of Rome. The area is always full of life and there is no more beautiful sight in Rome than St Peter’s in the early morning before the crowds arrive when you can admire the great church in peace and look down the vast Via della Conciliazione to the river. To stay even for a short while in the heart of Christendom is an experience like no other.
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This area of Rome is as old as Rome itself - it was inhabited by artisans in ancient times. The name Trastevere literally means "at the other side of the Tiber", referring to the river that streams through the city, from which it becomes clear that the name was invented by someone in the centre of Rome. It has always been outside the city walls, and thus developed separately from the city proper.
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If you walk through the narrow picturesque streets around the Fontana di Trevi you will hear the sound of the splashing of water long before you see one of the most famous sights of Rome. The fountain fills the entire side wall of an old palace in the tiny square and everyone will remember the famous scene from La Dolce Vita of Anita Ekberg wading into the fountain at dead of night in a long black evening gown. It is now traditional for tourists to throw two coins over their shoulders into the fountain – one coin to retun to Rome and the other to grant a wish
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In 72 AD the Emperor Vespasian decided to devote a large part of the huge area then occupied by Nero’s Domus Aurea to public entertainment. It is one of he most memorable reminders of the grandeur of Rome at that time. There is so much to see here that it is tempting never to venture beyond these wonderful sites, especially as there are so many good restaurants to keep you refreshed and renewed with energy.
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