The Via dei Cappellari is a side street on the west side of the Campo de’ Fiori in Rome. In the past it was longer than it is nowadays and under the name Via Tecta or Porticus Maximae probably included the present Via dei Giubbonari, Via di Santa Maria del Pianto and the Via del Portico d’Ottavia, to end up at the Theater of Marcellus.
Via dei Cappellari Rome
History
Like many streets in the area the Via dei Cappellari gets its name from the profession of a number of its inhabitants, in this case the hat-makers. (It is sometimes claimed that the name derives from the family of Pope Gregory XVI, also called Cappellari, but they did not own any property in the area so this theory seems less likely.)
The street has also been known under different names, such as the Via dell’Arco dei Cappellari and the Via dei Tebaldeschi. The arch in question still exists and used to lead to a monastery for women who were not nuns. It was also known as the Arco di Santa Margherita.
The Tebaldeschi nomer came from a family who owned various palazzi in the street and whose coat of arms, a rose, can still be seen on the Via dei Cappellari no. 13. The building in front, with loggia and tower, was also owned by the Tebaldeschi.
The Italian poet Pietro Trapassi, aka Metastasio, was born in the house underneath the arch (no. 29), as a plaque testifies.
The Via dei Cappellari forms the border between the Regola and Parione districts.