As legend suggests, if one is to rub the snout of the bronze ‘Porcellino’, they are guaranteed to return to Florence (as well as being granted eternal good luck). Because of this supposed magical sculpture, during peak tourist season and in the height of the day, it is possible to see a long line of tourists, waiting to give the trusty Cinghiale a hopeful tap and get their share of luck.
The bronze was sculpted and cast by Pietro Tacca in 1634. The bronze originates from a marble carving of the boar in Rome, which Pope Pius IV gave to Cosimo the Elder in 1560- this was then given to Pietro Tacca in order for him to create the bronze. The original marble can infact be seen in the Uffizi today!
Though the role of the Porcellino fountain was originally to provide water for the merchants who worked in the Loggia, today it is merely a popular tourist attraction and shrouded in superstition- the popularity can be seen by the wearing down/ shine of the boar’s nose from many years of contact.
I managed to dig up in the archives (my iCloud gallery) a photo of me in 2014 rubbing the nose of the boar. At the time, it was merely for fun, but little did I know that the superstition would be realised and 4 years later I would be living in Florence!
All Abroad 