fall colors + rome {campo de’ fiori}

One of the reasons I love fall is of course the vegetables. Hearty pumpkins, crisp fennel, and crunchy cabbage are all things I crave after a summer of cucumbers and zucchini. But I’m also a sucker for color, and the bright, almost technicolor hues of the market this this time of year means I’m often filling up my basket based more on my eyes than my dinner menus.

That’s why I love it when the decorative and the edible come together. A bowl full of rosy pomegranates or neon yellow quinces are so much prettier than a vase full of zinnias. And with the added bonus that I will eventually get to gobble them up.

I guess I’m not the only one with these tendencies since the newest trend over at the flower stalls of Campo de’ Fiori are mini centerpieces that pair up fiery red peppers, pink crab apples and green chilies with fall flowers and raffia to tie up some of the cutest centerpieces I’ve ever seen.

While I’m usually not one for orderly, prefab floral arrangements – preferring big bunches of cut branches and flowers to display on my own – these little bits of whimsy caught my fancy.

And at 5 or 10 Euros a piece, they are almost less expense than the otherwise way overpriced ‘real’ produce for sale in the rest of the market.

Now that I’ve bought three of these I’m either going to have to throw a dinner party real quick, to show them off, or – even better –  give them away. Since they make very nice gifts, don’t you think?

Campo de’ Fiori Market
Piazza Campo de’ Fiori
The food part of the market runs from Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 1:30pm. The flower stalls stay open much later, though, until about 8pm I think.