Tucked beneath the stone arches, on the southern side of the loggia sheltering the city's 16th-century Mercato Nuovo (literally 'New Market'), today a tourist-tacky market selling cheap not-made-in-Italy leather goods, is Il Porcellino (The Piglet). Rub the snout of this bronze statue of a wild boar to ensure your return to Florence.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Museo di Palazzo Davanzati

0.07 MILES

Home to the wealthy Davanzati merchant family from 1578, this 14th-century palazzo (mansion) with a wonderful central loggia gives you a view into…

2. Chiesa e Museo di Orsanmichele

0.07 MILES

This unusual and inspirational church, with a Gothic tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna, was created when the arcades of an old grain market (1290) were walled…

3. Loggia dei Lanzi

0.09 MILES

What makes Piazza della Signoria so utterly gorgeous is its wealth of fountains and statues, climaxing with this 14th-century loggia where works such as…

4. Piazza della Signoria

0.09 MILES

The hub of local life since the 13th century, Florentines flock here to meet friends and chat over early-evening aperitivi (predinner drinks) at historic…

5. Fontana di Nettuno

0.09 MILES

Recently restored thanks to a €1.5-million investment by Florentine fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo, Ammannati's monumental fountain is impossible to…

6. Palazzo Vecchio

0.11 MILES

This fortress palace, with its crenellations and 94m-high tower, was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio between 1298 and 1314 for the signoria (city government…

7. Piazza della Repubblica

0.12 MILES

The site of a Roman forum and heart of medieval Florence, this busy civic space was created in the 1880s as part of a controversial plan of 'civic…

8. Galleria degli Uffizi

0.12 MILES

Home to the world's greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art, Florence's premier gallery occupies the vast U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi (1560–80),…