©2020 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Brussels has the Mannekin Pis.
Paris has the Stravinsky Fountain.
A short walk from Milan’s La Scala Theater, tucked away in a nondescript neighborhood, is the Fontana dei Baci….more commonly known by the nickname, The Woman of Three Breasts.
There are many fountains similar to this design in Rome, however, this is the only one of the kind located in Milan. The statue was conceived and constructed by the former Savings Bank of Lombardy. Part of the building owned by the Cariplo (formerly the Savings Bank of the Lombardy) and adjacent to the well-known Congress Center, it sits on the corner and attracts the occasional visitor.
Like me. Or the two girls who were there, trying to get a cool Instagram or Tinder photo.
The water feature of the statue consists of a shell supported by two mighty newts with dolphins at their feet. The gushing water was believed to represent the “charity of the Savings Bank” since this was location of the offices were where taxes were paid. Two female statues flank the water feature, but it is the lady on the left that gives the statue its nickname.
The female statue, who represents the savings of the bank, holds close to her breast. a round piggy bank. The formation of the piggy bank to the mischievous eye, however, makes it look as though the female has a third breast!
Okay, so its not the Trevi fountain, but worth a detour if you are coming from a performance at La Scala…especially if you are in need of updating your Instagram photo!
For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
Fontana dei Baci
- Address: Via Andegari, 8, 20121 Milano MI, Italy (corner of Via Romagnosi and Via Andegari)
- Hours: 24 hours
- Admission: free
- Getting There: The following transit lines have routes that pass near Fontana dei Baci. Bus, #’s 43, 57, 61. Train, R16, S4, S5, S6. Metro lines, M1, M3. Light Rail, line 1.