The Madonna of the Bad Smell

Walking Tours of Florence

The Madonna del Puzzo by Mario Mariotti

There is a small niche in Via Toscanella (near Borgo San Jacopo, in the Oltrarno), which was clearly designed to hold a statue of the Virgin Mary. However, instead of the Madonna, we find a terracotta head of a woman pinching her nose. And on her hand sits a small mouse.

The sculpture, which is the work of Mario Mariotti (1936-97), is known as the Madonna del Puzzo (1984). The woman is pinching her nose, on account of the bad smell (puzzo) that issued from the rubbish bins, which were once located nearby.

The bins seem have disappeared, but the Madonna del Puzzo remains in place. ​

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The Madonna del Puzzo by Mario Mariotti