Whats with the hospital pig? JB, via email

Make a wish, toss a coin, and rub the nose of the bronzed boar statue in front of Sydney Hospital and it might bring you good luck. Italian for piglet, Il Porcellino’s legend goes back to ancient Rome. The original marble statue was found at the Uffizi and later cast by 17th century Italian sculptor Pietro Tacca in Florence. It became a tradition for tourists to rub the snout to ensure their wish of returning to Italy would be granted.

Sydney’s version of the statue is one of five copied casts, which can be found across the world.  After seven years of saving money to purchase it, the sculpture was presented to the Hospital in 1968 by Marchessa Clarissa Torrigiani as a memorial to her Italian-born father, Thomas Henry Fiaschi and brother, Piero Fiaschi, who were renowned surgeons at the hospital. As in Italy, tourists and Sydneysiders alike make a pilgrimage to Macquarie Street to touch the beast’s shiny nose.

Some magic has worn off from the statue, as coins thrown in the fountain are collected by Sydney Hospital and Friends of Sydney Hospital (FOSH).  During the Olympics, the boar donned an Olympic garland and each Daffodil Day (August 22), he wears a special hat and garland to raise money for Cancer Council of NSW.  The little pig has become a prominent figure and is referred to as the ‘silent volunteer’ for the hospital.

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