The talking statues

Piazza Navona

Trastevere

Via Giulia

The Pantheon and its legends

Campo de' Fiori

The Trevi fountain

The Appia Antica Way

Via Margutta

The subterranean Rome

The Magic Door of Rome

The ghetto of Rome

The ghosts of Rome

The "Nasoni": The small fontains of Rome

The Passetto of Borgo Sant'Angelo

The districts of Rome

Are called "talking statues" those anthropomorphic sculptures in stone once used by the Roman people (in reality were written by writers of the time) to post every night, clandestine satire directed preferably against the government and its representatives. The lampoons were not only an expression of popular discontent: in many cases the same representatives of the power used for propaganda purposes against awkward opponents, perhaps using the art of poetry of literary and ironic. These statues are Marforio, male figure of the Roman Empire shown lying on a triclinium located in front of the entrance courtyard of the Capitoline Museums, Madama Lucrezia, feminine bust portraying the daughter of Nicholas d'Alagno, located at the corner of Church S. Mark Palazzo Venezia, the Porter, which supports male bust in his hands a barrel from which flows a jet of water, housed in a niche on Via Lata, the Baboon, a statue of Silenus (a mythological being who is swollen like a bottle), located in Via del Babuino, and Scanderbeg, round depicting the Albanian Prince Giorgio Castriota Scanderbeg said (Romans corrupted "Scannabecchi") on the facade of his building in the alley of the same name by way of the dater. Today, these statues are offended by the time covered by parked cars and silent, but were once the largest opposition party of papal Rome. The first to speak was an ancient marble, situated on a corner of the Palazzo Braschi, who railed against the Borgia pope.

Pasquino is the heart of Rome, the spirit of the Roman people. Pasquino existed even before there as a talking statue. Nell'arguzia existed in salacious irony of Horace, Martial, of Juvenal, Ovid and Catullus, in satire, in the teasing, the Animus of the Roman people. Marforio was considered the "shoulder" of Pasquino, as in some of the satire, the two statues converse with each other: one asking questions about social issues, politics, etc.. And the other gave witty answers. Madama Lucrezia, called "the evil tongue" was often a spectator instead of hostility between the children of the neighborhood. The statue was the subject of a strange devotion. Madama needed to show respect, taking off his hat. Even foreigners were willy-nilly forced to pay homage to the trick of a coin tied with a thread. The victim ran after the coin is the author of the joke dealt a blow on the head that made him fly off the hat. Many were also tributes to the noble woman who was found one day on earth with a sign around his neck bearing the words "Just do not take it anymore."

of Giorgia Mancini