The Talking Statues of Rome
"Il Facchino" - The Porter

Location: Via Lata, 4 (side of Palazzo De Carolis).

Description: Renaissance statue (c. 1580, by Jacopo del Conte) of a water carrier with a barrel.

Curiosity:

1. • The “Drunken Porter”: According to a popular Roman legend, the statue’s tired, puffy, and slightly lopsided face suggests that the porter had drunk part of the barrel’s contents… and it wasn’t water, but wine! This is why he is affectionately nicknamed the “Drunken Porter” (Facchino Ubriaco).

   • Mistaken for Martin Luther: For centuries, many Romans believed the statue portrayed Martin Luther (who had stayed in the nearby Augustinian convent in 1511). Because of this, the statue was repeatedly attacked and heavily damaged: the face is ruined and the nose is almost completely gone, the result of stones and blows thrown by passers-by during the Counter-Reformation.

   • Attributed to Michelangelo: For a long time it was mistakenly thought to be a work by Michelangelo Buonarroti. In reality, it was sculpted around 1580 from a design by Jacopo del Conte (also known as Jacopino del Conte) by Florentine artisans for the Guild of the Water Carriers (Corporazione degli Acquaroli).

   • The Lost Inscription: Originally there was an ironic plaque dedicated to a certain Abbondio Rizzio (or Rizio), a very strong porter who “carried as much weight as he wanted… but one day, with a barrel of wine on his shoulder and another in his body, he died.” The inscription was clearly humorous and helped fuel the legends surrounding the statue’s identity.

   • Moved for Protection: It was originally located on Via del Corso (in a very prominent position). In 1874 it was moved to its current niche on Via Lata specifically to protect it from continuous vandalism.

   • One of the Talking Statues: It is the only one of the six Talking Statues of Rome that is not ancient (the others all date back to Roman or earlier times). Despite this, from the 17th century onward it hosted many pasquinate (anonymous satirical poems).

   • Symbol of a Lost Profession: It represents the acquaroli or acquaricciari (water carriers), who at night filled their barrels from the Tiber River or the Trevi Fountain and sold the water door-to-door. It was an extremely hard job that disappeared once the ancient aqueducts were restored.