Monday, February 13, 2012

Pigs

Recently I came across this great quote.  (Did I steal it from one of you?)

"I am fond of pigs.
Dogs look up to us.
Cats look down on us.

Pigs treat us as equals." - Winston Churchill

I didn't have any pig photos from Hartford, so here is one from Florence, Italy, taken in 2010.  It is in the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo.  There was a line of pretty girls and their boy friends waiting to take pictures of the girl rubbing the pig's snout.  If this is an Italian mating custom, I can't explain it.

23 comments:

Dianne said...

Hi Jack ... we've got pigs in Adelaide ...they're on my side-bar.. but not as big and cute as these Florentine pigs ...very cute.
I think that quote's true especially the bit about cats!!

Cezar and Léia said...

:) cute sculpture!
Pigs are cute but I'm fan of cats! LOL
Léia

Malyss said...

I can explain it to you: the legend says that if you caress the nose of the wild boar (it's not a "real pig") you'll come back to Florence! that's why the nose is shining so much!(And it works: I caressed the nose, and was back to Florence some years after! )

Bruce Clark said...

You can tell that snout has been touched a lot. Interesting custom!

Karl said...

I thought to myself, I know this guy...

Anonymous said...

That snout has been polished to a high sheen... all that rubbing!

Sharon said...

I'm certainly no expert on the mating custom but, this is one fine looking pig. Love that quote.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

So, not a mating ritual at all hey Jack..That boar looks a bit too 'wolfish'.. Winston Churchill knew his pets well, spot on!

Luis Gomez said...

Great fun shot Jack!

SRQ said...

Wonderful sculpture...peculiar custom. Sad about the graffiti in the background.

Kate said...

Looks like a pretty wild boar to me, and I must admit that the custom is pretty lively and not a bore.

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

I remember seeing this, but did not caress the snout, and returned to Florence several times nevertheless.

Randy said...

That's a fun shot!

Unknown said...

Funny post and I love Churchill's quote.

Lowell said...

The problem with pigs is they're always trying to hog the limelight!

Sylvia K said...

What a fun shot and you did get me laughing early this morning! How about that shiny nose! Guess there are lots of people hoping to return to Florence!! I LOVE Churchill's quote! Made my day! Hope yours is a good one!

Sylvia

Halcyon said...

That pig is cute! I'd definitely have to give it a rub if I was there. :)

RedPat said...

Great shot - one fierce looking pig.

cieldequimper said...

I actually like to eat wild boar. This one looks a bit tough for my teeth though...

(Sorry, I'm tired!)

Lorelle said...

I like Churchill's quote. It would seem that pig has been very popular by its shinny rubbed snout.

Regina K said...

Kansas City has a pig sculpture exactly like this (on the Country Club Plaza)

VP said...

It is commonly called 'Porcellino' (Piglet) but it is obviously a wild boar. You usually rub the snout to come back to Florence.

Charlestonjoan said...

Picturing this as a mating custom cracked me up! Thanks :)