Florence:
Fontana del Bacchino
Fountain of Bacchus, Boboli Gardens
There are fountains aplenty in the Boboli Gardens, but surely one of the most curious is the Fontana del Bacchino.
The fountain, which takes the form of a naked chubby chap sitting astride a tortoise, is also known as the Fontanella di Nano Morgante, as the model for Bacchus, the god of wine, was Morgante the most celebrated and popular dwarf (nano) at the court of Cosimo I de' Medici (r. 1537-74).
The dwarf's real name was Braccio di Bartolo; his nickname comes from the eponymous giant in Morgante (1483), an epic poem by Luigi Pulci (1432-84).
The fountain (1560) is the work of Valerio Cioli (1529-99).
The fountain, which takes the form of a naked chubby chap sitting astride a tortoise, is also known as the Fontanella di Nano Morgante, as the model for Bacchus, the god of wine, was Morgante the most celebrated and popular dwarf (nano) at the court of Cosimo I de' Medici (r. 1537-74).
The dwarf's real name was Braccio di Bartolo; his nickname comes from the eponymous giant in Morgante (1483), an epic poem by Luigi Pulci (1432-84).
The fountain (1560) is the work of Valerio Cioli (1529-99).