Il Babuino is one of the Talking Statues of Rome; he's a really really old-looking statue and fountain, an ancient depiction of a reclining Silenus, a character from Roman mythology that is half man, half goat. The people of Rome have nicknamed the figure Il Babuino (the babboon) because they consider it to be ugly and deformed, like a monkey. The political signs left on Il Babuino are more properly called babuinate than pasquinate, but the priniciple of satirical criticism is the same. During modern times, the babuinate were expressed in graffiti in the wall behind the statue, but the wall has recently been painted with s special paint to prevent the graffiti from reappearing.

    

Il Babuino (the babboon), on Via del Babuino at Via deo Greci, one of the Talking Statues of Rome
See all Il Babuino photos.

    

Il Babuino (the babboon), on Via del Babuino at Via deo Greci, one of the Talking Statues of Rome
See all Il Babuino photos.

    

Il Babuino (the babboon), on Via del Babuino at Via deo Greci, one of the Talking Statues of Rome
See all Il Babuino photos.

    

Il Babuino (the babboon), on Via del Babuino at Via deo Greci, one of the Talking Statues of Rome
See all Il Babuino photos.

    

Il Babuino (the babboon), on Via del Babuino at Via deo Greci, one of the Talking Statues of Rome
See all Il Babuino photos.

• My Il Babuino photos