The Campo dei Fiori
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The Fountain in the Campo
Originally the Terrinapassato Fountain (The Tureen, or “The Soupbowl” because of its shape) stood next to the statue of Bruno, decorated with bronze dolphins. In 1924, this fountain was moved to the Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, about 500 metres away on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, to create more room for the vegetable market.
On the fountain there is a strange inscription:
“fa dal bene e lassa dire - engage in good deeds and do not mind what others say”, with the date MDCXXII (1622), possibly directed to those condemned to the gallows which once stood in the Campo near the fountain, or again, this may be a reference to the derision which was directed at this very modest fountain which, because of the low pressure from the Aqua Vergine aqueduct that still today supplies both this and the Trevi Fountain's water, could not accommodate any spouts of jetting water.
The remaining fountain at the northern end of the Campo (pictured above), installed in 1898 and usually to be found with callow youths lounging around it, (or late at night, in it) is actually a larger rendition of the original “Tureen” fountain, but without the lid.
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