Forno Campo de' Fiori

Forno Campo de' Fiori is one of Rome's most famous bakeries, occupying a corner of the lively Campo de' Fiori market square in the historic centre. It is a temple to pizza bianca—the quintessential Roman flatbread, baked until blistered and golden, brushed with olive oil and scattered with salt—which emerges from the ovens in long, fragrant sheets throughout the day and is cut to order and sold by weight. Alongside it the forno turns out pizza rossa topped simply with tomato, seasonal filled pizzas, biscuits, savoury and sweet pastries and seasonal specialities such as maritozzi. The pizza bianca here is a Roman benchmark: locals have it split and stuffed with mortadella, or filled with fresh figs and prosciutto in season, eaten on the move as the ultimate cheap, satisfying street snack. This is a working bakery and takeaway counter rather than a café—service is brisk, there is no seating, and the queue of Romans and visitors moves quickly. Two adjacent shopfronts handle bread and pizza on one side and pastries and sweets on the other. Its position right on the market square makes it a natural stop while browsing the morning produce stalls or wandering the surrounding lanes of the centro storico. Prices are low, with pizza bianca around €1.50 a piece, keeping it accessible to everyone. Opening from early morning with a midday break and an evening reopening, it is busiest at lunchtime when fresh sheets come out. For a taste of everyday Roman baking culture in one of the city's most atmospheric squares, Forno Campo de' Fiori is an essential and inexpensive stop.