Florence By Area >> City Centre West
The Mercato Nuovo (New Market) is sometimes called the "Straw Market" because goods woven out of straw, such as hats and baskets, were sold here from the end of the 19th century until the 1960's. In fact, it was originally built in 1547-51 as a central market for silk and other luxury goods. Today's stallholders sell leather goods and souvenirs, and on summer evenings buskers gather to entertain visitors.
To the south of the market is a little fountain called Il Porcellino. This is a 17th century copy in bronze of the Roman marble statue of a wild boar that can be seen in the Uffizi. Its snout gleams like gold, thanks to the superstition than any visitor who rubs it will return to Florence some day. Coins dropped in the water basin below are collected and distributed to the city's charities.
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