Campo de' Fiori

Campo de' Fiori is one of central Rome's most characterful squares, a rectangular piazza in the historic centre that wears two very different faces over the course of a day. Its name, meaning 'field of flowers', recalls the meadow that occupied the site in the Middle Ages before it was paved. Each morning from Monday to Saturday, the square fills with one of Rome's oldest open-air markets, where stalls sell fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs, dried pasta, spices, flowers and cheeses alongside more tourist-oriented stalls; arriving early gives the best produce and the most authentic local atmosphere before the trade winds down by early afternoon. At the centre of the square stands the brooding hooded statue of the philosopher Giordano Bruno, erected on the very spot where he was burned for heresy in 1600, a reminder of the piazza's darker history as a place of public execution. By evening the cleared square transforms again, its surrounding bars, wine shops and restaurants drawing a young crowd that makes it one of the liveliest spots for an aperitivo or a late drink in the centre. Unlike many Roman squares, Campo de' Fiori has no church facing it, which adds to its secular, market-town feel. A visit takes one to two hours depending on whether one shops, eats or simply passes through, and it sits within easy walking distance of Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Jewish Ghetto. The lanes around the square hold excellent bakeries, delis and the famous Forno bakery for pizza bianca. Cafés on the square charge premium prices for the people-watching. Free to enter at any time, this is a place to come either for the colour and bustle of the morning market or the social buzz of the evening, two scope-specific experiences in one Roman piazza.