If you go to Rome, you might want to visit the Campo de’ Fiori—the “Plain of Flowers”—where there is an imposing statue of Bruno on the very spot where he faced his death.
If you go to Rome, you might want to visit the Campo de’ Fiori—the “Plain of Flowers”—where there is an imposing statue of Bruno on the very spot where he faced his death. When I went, I found a bustling square full of shoppers, who may not all have been aware that the location had been an execution site for heretics. But Bruno’s statue itself gazes down upon a number of young rebels, artists, and street musicians who, unsurprisingly, congregate there. While taking in this peaceful scene, I wondered what kind of atmosphere could have existed back in Bruno’s day to inflame such a murderous mob. How could they be whipped up to torture and kill a vagabond philosopher?
