I arrive at Via dei Cappellari from Via del Pellegrino, off Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II, east of the River Tiber. The “hat-makers street” is like many others in the surrounding parts, named for the professions of those who practiced their trades in what has, since medieval times, been a commercial hub of trade and craftsmanship. Strada d’arte e artigianato reads the brick-colored sign, indicating to the perambulator what he or she can expect of the road–art and artisanship.

Another sign, whimsical and apparently handwritten, reads Via della Poesia, or Street of Poetry, in honor of poet and librettist Pietro Trapassi (1698-1782); better known by the pseudonym Metastasio; and writer, journalist, and poet Claudio Angelini (1943-2015), also once president of the Dante Alighieri Society in New York; who both lived on Via dei Cappellari. Not too far off, at Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, a statue adorned with mask and lyre, symbols of the theatre, stands in memory of Metastasio.

Narrow and paved with cobblestone, the medieval via lends itself to the pedestrian in search of quiet and curiosities. It is quintessentially Roman with its small, ivy-framed storefronts opening upon cavernous boutiques, osterie, and artisanal shops. Via dei Cappellari is modest and tucked away–a hidden gem that could easily go unnoticed were it not for the famous estuary of Campo de’ Fiori that it leads to.

It is quiet and pleasantly sunny the Wednesday morning I visit; a string of tourists file through on their bicycles and a man stops his truck there briefly, its bed laden with flowers destined for the market. Two older men sit in woven chairs outside their antique shop. The feeling is that of a place iconic and timeless and still; a little window into a past both vibrant and tranquil. Perhaps most striking about the little street is the sheer diversity and niche-specific nature of its shops. From L’Argania, which offers Moroccan home décor: lamps, lanterns, mirrors, vases, and other decorative objects; to Kush Grower, a marijuana shop; there is more than enough to titillate a wide range of tastes. Behind the window of Laboratrio Marcoaurelio sits a woman hunched over in her craft of jewelry making. Pride in the high quality of so many of the artisanal goods here infuses the experience with a sense of dignity, all too often lost in the expedited, mass production of what we regularly consume in the modern world.

The charming attributes of Via dei Cappellari, however, do not end at its stores. The very architecture and creative elements of the road brim with character. An ornate mirror, a poem by Odysseas Elytis inscribed on a black stone: I speak of you and of myself/why I love you and in love I know/how to enter like a full moon. Arches, lanterns, potted plants, contemporary art murals, and more grace the road, offering ample opportunity for the stroller to pause and subjects for him or her to contemplate.

The natural terminus of the little street is Campo de’ Fiori, a square or piazza situated between the two neighborhoods of Rione Regola and Rione Parione. Upon first exiting the corridor-like via, one happens upon an entirely different world, bustling with activity and stimulation–sights, sounds, and scents. If Via dei Cappellari is the vestibule of a cathedral, then Campo de’ Fiori is its nave: wide, bright, colorful, and breath taking. The field of flowers is aptly named, both for its history as a meadow and its present-day floral vendibles. The stalls of the market are arranged close together in maze-like fashion under a sea of white umbrellas surrounding the focal point: a tall, bronze statue of philosopher and theorist Giordano Bruno, who in 1600 was tragically executed in this very piazza.

Meandering between the stalls is a unique sensory experience. Crates of orange and white pumpkins, marigold squash, prickly chestnuts, and blue and yellow maize. Bushels abounding in fresh fruits and vegetables, exotic and local; ginger, papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, avocado, lime, bananas, berries, and apples. Braids of chili pepper and garlic hang from the beams, dangling over the merchants’ scales. A vendor demonstrates how to use the tools he is selling to get perfect julienne slices and corkscrew curls of zucchini, carrots, and potatoes. Another presses fresh pomegranates into ruby drinks. At the foot of a small fountain, a woman rinses her newly purchased basket of strawberries and pigeons preen their feathers. Jars of classic Italian condiments are tightly stacked along the shelves: black and white truffle oil, pesto, chili pepper paste, and more.

It could be said that the most valuable thing a visitor takes away is not a thing, or commodity, at all. It is rather the experience of having stepped through a little window in time to an idyllic place; as ordinary as a road or a market, but, like much of the Eternal City, saturated with charm and the rich presence of history.

 

L’Argania

Via dei Cappellari, 68

www.largania.it

 

Kush Grower

Via dei Cappellari, 96

 

Laboratrio Marcoaurelio

Via dei Cappellari, 21

www.laboratoriomarcoaurelio.com