Il Porcellino Statue, Sydney Hospital, New South Wales, Australia Editorial Image

Sydney’s version of the Il Porcellino 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.