L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano I f you read us regu- larly, you are defi- nitely familiar with P a s q u i n o , t h e talking statue locat- e d n e a r P i a z z a N a v o n a that, through his invec - tives, satires and commen- t a r i e s ( t h e f a m o u s Pasquinate) -- all rigorous- ly seasoned with a hefty dose of humor -- outlined the popular history of the capital for many centuries. One of his most famous P a s q u i n a t e , " q u e l l o c h e n o n f e c e r o i B a r b a r i , fecero i Barberini," ("what wasn't done by the Barbar- ians, the Barberini did") – more on it in just a handful of lines – is etched in our memory and is as tradi- t i o n a l l y R o m a n a s t h e C o l o s s e u m a n d l a u n d r y hanging out of a Trastevere balcony. A s f a m o u s a s h e i s , Pasquino is not the only talking statue in our capi- tal: believe it or not, there are six and it's likely that, once upon a time, there were many more. L e t u s p r o c e e d w i t h some order, though. These statues, commonly known as the Statue Parlanti or Talking Statues of Rome, c a n b e f o u n d i n s e v e r a l c e n t r a l l o c a t i o n s o f o u r capital. Tradition says it all b e g a n s o m e t i m e s i n t h e 16 th century, when Rome was the Pope's own play- ground and people would h a n g s a t i r i c a l m e s s a g e s around statues' necks to criticize or ridicule impor- tant Roman personalities, t h e P o p e i n c l u d e d , o f c o u r s e . M i n d , i t w a s a l l anonymous: back in those days, being vocal against the powerful could quite l i t e r a l l y c o s t y o u y o u r head. The Romans grew fond of the tradition, and of the s t a t u e s a r o u n d w h i c h i t had been developing, so they gave them names, the very same we still know t h e m w i t h t o d a y : M a d a m a L u c r e z i a , l ' A b a t e L u i g i , i l Facchino, il Marforio, il Babuino and, of course, o u r o l d P a s q u i n o . A l l together, they are known a s t h e C o n g r e s s o d e g l i Arguti, and are tradition- ally considered the unadul- t e r a t e d v o i c e o f t h e Romans, often speaking a g a i n s t t h e c i t y ' s m o s t known– but often arrogant and corrupted – residents. P a s q u i n o ' s s t a t u e resides in a small square that bears his own name, just behind Piazza Navona. He has been entertaining l o c a l s i n s u c h l o c a t i o n since 1501. Historically, the statue is believed to be of classical origins, perhaps dating all the way back to the 3 rd century BC, but because of its poor condi- tions, archaeologists and historians couldn't quite m a k e u p w h o P a s q u i n o was originally. However, it i s b e l i e v e d i t m a y h a v e been a representation of K i n g M e n e l a u s , o r o f a gladiator. Perhaps a hero or even god. Legend says the statue was found near a tavern, whose owner was called Pasquino, hence the name. As mentioned in our i n t r o d u c t i o n , t h e m o s t famous of all Pasquinate is perhaps the one against the Barberini family who, in the figure of Pope Urban V I I I , d e p l e t e d t h e Pantheon of its bronze cov- ering to make the canopy we can still admire today in Saint Peter's basilica. Il Marforio, another member of the Congresso degli Arguti, lives in the courtyard of the M u s e i Capitolini. Very likely, the statue was originally a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e River Tiber and of one of its tributaries, the Nera. J u s t l i k e P a s q u i n o , Marforio also has classical origins, as the sculpture was unhearted sometimes in the 16 th century in the Forum of Augustus. He has a l w a y s b e e n c o n s i d e r e d Pasquino's sidekick, as he would often ask questions to his famous stony friend, who would answer back with wit. Marforio's ques- t i o n a b o u t t h e F r e n c h , uttered at the beginning of t h e 1 9 t h c e n t u r y w h e n Napoleon raided the capi- tal, remained in the annals: "Is it true that all French are thieves?" – Marforio asked – "Not all –Pasquino began – but bona parte (a word game on Napoleon's own surname, Bonaparte, which in Italian means 'a good part')." N o t f a r f r o m t h e C a m p i d o g l i o a n d Marforio's ironic remarks, w e e n c o u n t e r t h e o n l y f e m a l e m e m b e r o f t h e A r g u t i , M a d a m a Lucrezia, who lives hap- pily in Piazza San Marco, her shoulders solidly back- i n g P a l a z z o V e n e z i a . Madama Lucrezia, who is also of ancient Roman ori- gins, gets her name from L u c r e z i a d ' A l a g n o , a 15 th century noblewoman, l o v e r o f k i n g o f N a p l e s A l f o n s o V o f A r a g o n . I n 1457, Lucrezia travelled to the capital to ask the Pope t o c o n c e d e A l f o n s o V a divorce from the queen, but she had no luck. When the king eventually died, s h e w a s f o r c e d t o l e a v e Naples and found refuge in Rome, more precisely in a b u i l d i n g n e a r t h e o l d R o m a n s t a t u e w h o w a s , e v e n t u a l l y , t o t a k e h e r n a m e . W h i l e s h e q u i t e n e v e r e n j o y e d t h e s a m e popularity of other Arguti, M a d a m a L u c r e z i a i s famous for being the only female talking statue in Rome. Via Lata is home to Il Facchino, a talking statue who is also a fountain. Il F a c c h i n o w a s c o m m i s - sioned to Jacopo del Conte in the 16 th century, by the C o r p o r a z i o n e d e g l i A c q u a r o l i , that is, the people who would collect water from the city's foun- tains to sell it door to door. Il Facchino's stone face is horribly maimed, and you know why? Well, it seems that many, back in the day, f o u n d i n h i m a r e s e m - blance with Martin Luther and that, for this very rea- s o n , o u r p o o r F a c c h i n o w a s u n c e r e m o n i o u s l y defaced. The last two talking stat- u e s a r e t h e u g l y E r B a b u i n o ( t h e b a b o o n ) and L'Abate Luigi . Er B a b u i n o g e t s h i s n a m e from his – so they say – ugly looks and he's consid- ered Pasquino's nemesis, as he competed with him t o b e c o m e t h e m o s t respected and loved talking s t a t u e o f R o m e . E r Babuino's limericks are known as Babuinate, just like Pasquino's are known as Pasquinate. The statue is part of a fountain, which was taken apart in 1877, but rebuilt again, by popu- lar demand, in 1957. Last but not certainly least, we should meet the A b a t e L u i g i , l o c a t e d beside Sant'Andrea della Valle Church. Apparently, the statue gets its name because many thought it look like a real abate Luigi, who was in charge of the Chiesa del Sudario, located just a stone's throw away. As in the case of Pasquino, Madama Lucrezia and il Marforio, the Abate Luigi's statue is of Roman origins. Pasquino, Madama Lucrezia and the other mouthy statues of Rome FRANCESCA BEZZONE The talking statue of Marforio (Photo: Photoxite/Dreamstime) HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS

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