| Il Facchino | |
|---|---|
| English: 'The Porter' | |
 | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Year | c. 1580 (Jacopo del Conte) |
| Type | Talking statues ofRome |
| Location | Via Lata |
| Coordinates | 41°53′54″N12°28′53″E / 41.89828°N 12.48129°E /41.89828; 12.48129 |
Il Facchino (Italian:Il Facchino,The Porter) is one of thetalking statues ofRome. Like the other five "talking statues",pasquinades - irreverentsatires poking fun at public figures - were posted besideIl Facchino.
Il Facchino was originally sited on thevia del Corso, on the main facade of thePalazzo De Carolis Simonetti, near thepiazza Venezia. In 1874, it was moved to its current position, to the side of the same building, now theBanco di Roma, on theVia Lata.
Unlike the other talking statues, which are all dated toAncient Rome,Il Facchino is relatively modern. The statue was created in around 1580, to a design byJacopo del Conte for theCorporazione degli Aquaroli . It depicts a man wearing a cap and a sleeved shirt, carrying a barrel - an "acquarolo", who would take water from theTiber to sell on the streets of Rome during the period before, at the orders of the Popes, the Roman aqueducts were repaired and the public fountains played again. Water spouts from thebunghole creating a fountain. The man's face is badly damaged, the result of paving stones thrown at it over the years, in the popular misapprehension (because of the soft cap) that it portrayedMartin Luther.[1]
Media related toFontana del Facchino (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Fontana della Barcaccia | Landmarks of Rome Il Facchino | Succeeded by Marforio |
