The Porcellino Fountain is a bronze wild boar tucked against Florence’s Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, a short walk from Piazza della Signoria. Its polished snout stands out against the dark bronze: generations of visitors have rubbed it for luck, making this small monument one of the city’s most recognisable sights.
Baroque sculptor Pietro Tacca cast the boar in the early 1630s, drawing on an ancient marble sculpture once owned by the Medici and now in the Uffizi. The original bronze is preserved in the Museo Stefano Bardini; the figure at the market is a modern copy. The surrounding 16th-century loggia was built for merchants trading luxury goods and later became known for its straw hats.
Tradition calls for rubbing the boar’s snout and placing a coin in its mouth, letting the water carry it towards the grate below. If the coin falls through, it’s said to bring good luck; the snout rub is also associated with a return to Florence. Look beyond the queue to the fountain’s base, where bronze frogs, snails and other small creatures gather around the basin.
The fountain is free to see and easy to add to a walk between the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. Come early or in the evening for a quieter look, and keep an eye on your belongings when the market is busy. Leave a little time to browse the loggia’s leather and souvenir stalls, too.