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We found interesting contrasts in Campo de' Fiori.
The statue is of Giordano Bruno, an intellectual heretic who was burned
to death on this spot in 1600. His pedestal reads: "And the flames
rose up." The billboard, however, seems a bit more recent.
In a perfect example of old Rome co-existing with
new Rome, the buildings behind the statue are built into the old outer
wall of the ancient Theater of Pompey, which used to cover several city
blocks. This theater was the first permanent theater in Rome, and it was
decried by traditionalists who thought that theaters would lead to all
sort of horrible corruptions because they were too Greek. True Romans
were supposed to watch gladiators, not mimes, poets, and plays.
The Theater of Pompey became infamous for more
than just decadent actors -- it was where Caesar was assassinated because
that's where the Senate was renting space while the Curia was being renovated.
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