Many words have been written about the market at Campo dei Fiori in Rome. It has been part of the long history of the capital and has appeared in the scenes of many films. Here you can find some practical information to fully enjoy the market and its unique atmosphere, where ancient and modern live together.
Practical information about Campo dei Fiori.
The market is located in the square bearing the same name, near Piazza Navona (where it was originally located), and it is open from Monday to Saturday, from 07:00 to 14:00. On Sundays, the diverse community that manages the stands rightfully rests.
The history of Campo dei Fiori begins in 1869, when the most important market in the capital moves to this square. Initially, only fruit and vegetables where sold and the market was the reign of the “vignarole”, women that would travel every day to the capital from the fields with their crops, which they would then proceed to clean directly in the square.
With time, the market grew and, with it, the variety of its products. Visitors would be greeted by flower, fish and meat stands, apart from the original fruit and vegetable ones.
Today, the huge and colourful market of Campo dei Fiori is divided into two main areas:
- The central part is where the “historical” stands are found. They are now part of the living history of the old Rome, the city that was the protagonist of films belonging to the Italian neorealism.
- The new stands, which attract the attention of the tourists due to the variety of their products and, specially, because of the local colours.
The market and its main characters.
The older visitors to the market will surely remember the images from the masterpiece by Mario Bonnard in “Campo de’ Fiori”. It tells the love story between two vendors: Elide, the fruit seller, interpreted by Anna Magnani and Peppino, the fish monger, interpreted by Aldo Fabrizi. This film was, perhaps, the best depiction of the diverse world within this market, a world found between joy and bitterness, hope and the hard reality of everyday life in the period during the World War II.
A long time has passed since and, today, two are the protagonists of this market. They are very different, but share the joy for their job, every day, with good and bad weather, in hot and cold days, surrounded by tourists, Romans, visitors searching for local colours or just people going grocery shopping.
The first of these characters is Signora Franca, who has spent 80 years living and breathing in the market. When she was a child, her mother would put her in the vegetable box while attending customers. Today, you can find her in the front row with her sons, in charge of the historic fruit and vegetable stand, with the energy and talkativeness of a 20 year old.
The second protagonist is Maghreb’s Mustafà, who the city has adopted as one of its own. He has become a YouTube star with his weird slang where, with the mastery of a true showman, he exihibits the thousand uses of his vegetable peeler.
Many years have passed from Aldo Fabrizi to Mustafà, but the will of looking forward with a smile on their faces, between a joke and a well-intended curse, remains the same. Same goes with Signora Franca, nearly born among fruit boxes, as many others in this square.
Bags & Fruits: true Italian craftsmanship among the market stands!
We are living a historic period in which know-how has acquired an incredible value and handmade products are but a privilege of just a few. We, at Bags & Fruits, have decided to present genuine leather products, handmade in Italy by carefully selected artisans, for all those who appreciate them.
In the store at Via dei Giubbonari and in the stand in the market of Campo dei Fiori (yes, you have read correctly, in the market itself) you will find entirely handmade bags, backpacks, clutches, shoes and accessories. They are all made with the best national leather and elaborated by experienced artisans in love with their work, artists who dedicate themselves to bringing you the best products at fair prices.
Explore our Virtual Shop here below, chat in real time with your personal shopper that recommend the best products for you and shipping them home to you.