Campo de' Fiori

Campo de 'Fiori is a square between the Parione and Rule distrects. The name comes from the fact that until the fifteenth century the clearing was a flowery meadow planted with vegetable gardens. From the thirteenth century, the Orsini family acquired the buildings in the south-east side of the square (house-towers and crenellated walls), organizing them in a real fortified residence. In the sixteenth century the Orsini Residence passed to the Savoy, who restructured it, and then to the Righetti family. The rearrangement of the entire district and the paving of the square date back to 1456, by Pope Callistus III, who considered the center area of the Field a good connection between the new Palace of the Chancellery and Farnese Palace: the square became a necessary step for personalities, as well as home to a thriving market for horses and various commercial and cultural activities. In the seventeenth century, Campo de' Fiori was also the scene of numerous executions, including that of the philosopher and Dominican friar Giordano Bruno, accused of heresy, in remembrance of which was erected the bronze monument by sculptor Ettore Ferrari. The square has inspired the famous film of 1943, "Campo de' Fiori", with Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizi. Today, the square is a meeting place for young nightlife and home to many clubs and pubs.