A wild boar from Florence, a dog from Moscow, a bull from New York and moreā¦
The life of a tourist is mythological: to come , rub, go around three times in a circle … and the desire will come true. The main thing & nbsp; – do not forget to guess it. “Around the World” tells you which statues you need to do this near.
Fontana del Porcellino
Italy, Florence
There are many ways to lose money in Florence (keep your eyes open), but it's better to spend it wisely. If a coin placed in the mouth of the Boar falls through the grate into the water, the wish is guaranteed to come true. Rubbing the patch of the boar should contribute to the return to this wonderful city.
The statue of the animal is a copy of the boar of the 17th century, which was also cleaned to a shine and which itself was an imitation of ancient Roman marble sculpture.
A hand caressing a breast
Netherlands, Amsterdam
The erotic piece is located in the Oudekerksplein (“Old Church Square”) in the heart of the city, in the “red light district” De Wallen. Here, surrounded by brothels, is a statue of Belle, dedicated to “sex workers” around the world, equipped with a sign calling for respect for their work.
And next to it, a bronze relief of a hand caressing her breasts, created by an unknown artist, is embedded in the paving stones. It is believed that touching the image is very useful for increasing potency.
Charging Bull
USA, New York
Attacking Bull installed in Manhattan, not far from Wall Street, & nbsp; – the embodiment of aggressive masculinity (the bull has all the organs in place) and a symbol of a successful trader on the stock exchange, playing for an increase. Residents of the city and tourists who want to attract profit take the bull by the horns and other places (you can navigate by the shine).
āBorder guard with a dogā
Russia, Moscow
Almost every sculpture at the Ploshchad Revolyutsii metro station is associated with good luck in one way or another. āBorder Guard with a Dogā is one of the most popular statues. Students rub their nose or back paws to successfully pass an exam or test. Three more dogs with rubbed noses can be found at the station.
Grgur Ninski Statue
Croatia, Split
10th-century Bishop Grgur of Ninsky is a national hero, he advocated worship in a language understandable to Croats instead of someone else's Latin. Therefore, an impressive monument was erected to him. If you rub the big (well, very big) toe on the left foot of the 90-year-old statue created by sculptor Ivan MeŔtrovic, it will bring health, good luck or money. This is what the locals think. Tourists have no reason not to trust.
El Caballero de Paris
Cuba, Havana
Outside Officios, next to the Church of Francis of Assisi, there is a bronze sculpture of a man with a mop of thick matted hair and a beard polished to a shine. It is believed that touching it & nbsp; – good luck. Many tourists are sure that this is Francis himself. However, this sculpture depicts JosĆ© Maria LĆ³pez Lledina, the famous urban madman nicknamed the Gentleman of Paris, who wandered around Havana in the 1950s.
Jan NepomuckĆ½
Czech Republic, Prague< /strong>
Jan of Nepomuk is the most popular character on the Charles Bridge. There are several points of polish on martyr-related images. On the left relief of the pedestal – again a dog, on the right – the image of the saint himself, thrown off the bridge. In the center of the bridge, where the saint was just thrown from, there is another relief and a cross. You won't pass by such happiness.
Oscar Wilde's grave
France, Paris
The writer's grave in the Pere Lachaise cemetery is decorated with a sphinx carved in a 20-ton stone. In the 1990s, Wilde fans took to kissing the sphinx and the gravestone itself with painted lips. For the sake of attracting unearthly love. But the stone began to crumble. Because of this, in 2011, the grave was fenced off with two-meter plastic panels. Now they kiss them.
Photo: AGE FOTOSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA, HEMIS, SIME/LEGION-MEDIA, Nikolai Galkin/TASS, SIME (X3), IMAGE BROKER/LEGION-MEDIA
Material published in the magazine “Around the World” No. 1, January 2020, partially updated in May 2023
Svyatoslav Zelensky