Campo dei Fiori is a rectangular
piazza near Piazza Navona in Rome, on the
border of rione Parione and rione Regola.
Campo dei Fiori, translated literally from
Italian, means "field of flowers." The name, no
longer appropriate, was first given during the
Middle Ages when the area was actually a meadow.
In
Ancient Rome the area was unused space between
Pompey's Theatre and the flood-prone Tiber.
Though the Orsini established themselves on the
south flank of the space in the 13th century,
until the 15th century the square remained
undeveloped. The first church in the immediate
vicinity was built during the pontificate of
Boniface IX (1389-1404), Santa Brigida a
Campo dei Fiori; with the building-up of the
rione, the church has now come to face
that part of the former Campo that is now
Piazza Farnese. In 1456 under Pope Callixtus III,
Ludovico Cardinal Trevisani paved the area: this
was part of a greater project of improvement of
the rione Parione. This renewal was both the
result and cause of several important buildings
being built in the surroundings; in particular,
the Orsini palace on Campo dei Fiori was
rebuilt.
