A floor mosaic of an anatomically detailed bull in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is being restored after years of wear from a local tradition. Visitors grind their heels on the bull’s testicles, believed to guarantee a return to the city. Constant heel-turning has worn down the pink tesserae, creating a small crater. The beige mosaic is part of the 19th-century arcade flooring near the Duomo and represents Turin, which was then Italy’s capital. A restorer cut replacement stone pieces by hand using period designs and impressions of original fragments. Epoxy resins and sand mortar are planned to glue the pieces down more durably. Tourists performed the same act on a nearby she-wolf mosaic representing Rome during the restoration.
"Legend has it that grinding your heel on the bull's testicles at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II guarantees you will return to the city. Because of constant pirouettes on the heel made by tourists visiting Milan, the pink tesserae that make up its testicles have been worn down, forming a small crater, city authorities said."
"He cut pieces of stone by hand after looking at designs from the period and taking an impression of the original bits. He said he would use epoxy resins instead of the original lime, and sand mortar to glue them down to better withstand tourists' heels. Unable to pirouette on the bull during the restoration, tourists performed a similar act on a neighbouring she-wolf mosaic representing Rome."
"Emmanuel Conte and Marco Granelli, from Milan city council, said the arcade's lucky spot had become worn out over time. The gallery is a living heritage site, which can wear out precisely because it is loved and frequented, they added."
"Galli said he was proud of his work and would like to encourage young people to take up this profession, because Italy is very much in need of male and female restorers. He added: I know it's a demanding job, because you have to travel from site to site ... but it is also a job regarded in Italy as a privile"
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