Il Porcellino , Sydney, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Il Porcellino is a bronze statue of a wild boar standing on Macquarie Street, Sydney, beside the entrance to Sydney Hospital. It is a replica of a famous fountain in Florence, and visitors rub its snout for good luck. The statue sits in front of one of the oldest hospital sites in Australia, so it makes a good starting point for stories about the city's early medical history.

The story behind it

The boar is a copy of the Florentine "Porcellino" fountain, a bronze boar that has stood in Florence for centuries. The Sydney version was given to the city as a gift and placed outside the hospital. Tradition says that rubbing the snout brings luck and a return visit, which is why the nose shines while the rest of the statue is dark. Coins dropped in the water at its feet are collected to support the hospital.

The statue stands outside a hospital with a rough early history. Medical care on this site began in the colony's convict era, when conditions were crowded and unhygienic and the treatments of the day were harsh by modern standards. In 1868 Lucy Osburn and a small team of nurses trained in the Florence Nightingale tradition arrived from England. They reformed the hospital and set up Australia's first nursing school. Some people say the hospital courtyard feels eerie at night and tell ghost stories about those who died here. These are folk tales, not documented fact.

What to look for

• The polished, golden snout of the boar, worn smooth by countless hands, shows exactly where visitors have made their wish.
• The small basin at the statue's feet is where people drop coins, a tradition that supports the hospital.
• The sandstone and brick hospital building behind the statue shows the Victorian style of Macquarie Street.
• The street itself is lined with historic public buildings, so look along it to see how much of colonial Sydney survives.

Tips for your visit

• The statue stands in the open on the street, so you can see it at any time without a ticket. Ten minutes is enough for the boar and a few photos.
• Morning is quieter, and the light on the hospital facade is good earlier in the day.
• Sydney Hospital is still a working hospital, so treat the grounds with respect and check current opening hours for any public areas.
• Hyde Park, the State Library of NSW, Parliament House and the Royal Botanic Garden are all a short walk away, so combine the stop with a longer stroll.

See it on a quest

Ghosts of Sydney: The Lost Son suits this spot well, since the hospital's past is full of dark stories. You reach the boar on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you see. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape in Sydney is a lighter choice with an Oz theme. You walk between stops at your own pace, hear about each place as you get there and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Sydney, AU is another Oz-themed walk through the city. The app guides you from place to place, tells you the story of each one and sets a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.