All we know Pasquino in Rome, the most famous and celebrated talking statue in the city, with his satirical writings against the powerful of the moment. When it is possible I follow his mentions in order to know something more about the most powerful people who ruled Rome. So trust me when I say you that Pasquino is useful even for a local tour guide like me, because the anecdotes which come from it could make a tour more interesting. But what really is Pasquino?

It is a real voice of the people that began to rise since the fifteenth century, in a period in which the pontifical curia began, more than on other occasions, to be opulent and unscrupulous. The interesting thing is that, over the centuries, this shapeless piece of marble with more than two thousand years at shoulders, it risked having a bad end, precisely because of those irreverent phrases (for those who received them) that the locals love and loved so much. example of the ancient Romans who, on certain occasions, threw the criminals on the waters of the river, the pontiff, perhaps tired of the continuous and irritating rumors against him, wanted to go to the facts. In the end, his purpose was not followed up, due to the advice of his closest collaborators, who warned the Pope not to do such a thing. Pasquino, imagining that the origins of his name are still today unknown, was a popular symbol and so close to the people themselves that this action would have turned against them, even with a possible rebellion!

And what about poor Leo XII, a pontiff of the early 1800s, who, sick and almost on the verge of death, learned that, at the very moment when his conditions were critical, his person was the subject of constant satire? It seems that among the latest orders given, there was that of placing a 24-hour guard right near the Pasquino, to prevent anyone from approaching it. This, at least, happened until his departure of course. In short, a simple shapeless block in marble which, perhaps, represents an ancient sculptural group in which the protagonists are Menelaus, the great Greek hero, and the deceased Patroclus, a close friend of Achilles. At least this is the most widespread belief to explain the fragments of two distinct characters, belonging to a sculptural group of the third century b.C.

We know that Pasquino was found in 1501 following some excavations in the area, but still today we do not know the origin of the name. Traditions and legends about Pasquino and his particular name proliferate like mushrooms: some say that Pasquino was the name of a shoemaker, according to others a restaurateur, who had their activities in the area and who were particularly cynical, truthful and ready to satire. Some, however, see in the name Pasquino a nickname, a little derogatory, used to point to a professor from a nearby school, who was anything but handsome. Apart from everything, however, it is incredible to notice how the Pasquino still today... speaks! If you look closely, in fact, you can see some sheets or small sheets attached to a support nearby, bearing (often in Roman), satirical phrases against politicians or other important personalities. And it's been like this for five hundred years. Crazy! What is certain is, even today, many feel the need to say something to those who should help and govern our community.