Hog Hunting

I recently read about the sad love story of Il Porcellino. According to legend, a boar from the Tuscan countryside had the unexplainable ability to turn himself into a dark, handsome, man at night. One night, he went into Firenze and fell in love with a woman. Because he would turn back into the boar in the morning, he and his lover always had to part ways before sunrise. One day, the girl coaxed the man/boar into sharing his secret. He warned her that if she shared his secret with anyone else, he would be forever frozen into bronze.

Girls can be so dumb. Apparently, she told her mom and by the hour, about half of Firenze knew she was in love with a beast. You can only guess what happened. Her love turned into a bronze statue of a boar.

I had never heard this story nor seen Il Porcellino! Today was very rainy and stormy, so I decided to hunt this wild boar in the streets of Firenze. I walked towards one of the only places I had not yet explored- the Mercato Nuovo near Orsanmichele. (I get so intimidated by the over-friendly street vendors and rows and rows of souvenirs.) So I began sauntering in and out of the rows of leather goods, jewelry, mini-David statues, etc… No sign of the boar!

All of a sudden, I looked down one row and saw what looked like the top of a boar.

I walked around and came at him from the side- it was Il Porcellino!!!!! He has a very shiny bronze snout because people rub it to ensure they will return to Firenze (similar to the coin in the Trevi fountain in Roma).

Visitors place a coin in his mouth, and hope that it falls through to the grating below for good luck (or a future full of romance.)

Hunt = Success!