There is a belief that if you approach a statue and rub a finger on the left (right) foot (hand), your wish will come true. An experienced traveler has undoubtedly heard this phrase more than once. Many cities around the world have tourist attractions, and people of all ages happily perform the prescribed ritual, some with a smile, some quite seriously. Let us try, based on our own experience, to compile a short guide to such cherished places.
In St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague there is a sculpture of the most popular saint in the Czech Republic - John of Nepomuk. At the end of the 14th century, he refused to reveal the secret of the queen's confession, for which he was thrown from this bridge on the orders of Wenceslaus IV. The statue of John of Nepomuk can also be seen on Charles Bridge. Part of the bronze figure of the saint is polished to a shine, because there is a belief that if you make a wish and touch this statue with your hand, the wish will definitely come true.
In Naples you can buy fashionable clothes, shoes, bags, gold jewelry and silver very cheaply. There are many options for happy shopping - from a giant wholesale market of industrial goods to the majestic Galleria Umberto I, where the best brands are represented. In the center of this ancient arcade in the classical style, resembling a city under a glass roof, a large zodiac circle is depicted on the mosaic floor. To make wishes come true, you need to stand on the circle with the image of your sign.
Munich is not like other German cities; it is closer in spirit to the cities of Northern Italy. The unique architectural appearance of Munich is created by castles and churches, of which there are about 300. The landmark of Munich is considered to be the late Gothic church with two towers, the Frauenkirche, and the office building of BMW. And in the center of the Old Town, on Marienplatz, there is a cute bronze piglet with a polished snout. Everyone passing by touches it for good luck.
Residents of the ancient city of Salamanca in the region of Castile and León are proud of their main square, Plaza Mayor, which is considered the most beautiful in Spain. All the houses here are made of limestone, which acquires a reddish tint over time. Salamanca is home to one of the five oldest universities in Europe, along with Paris, Rome, Bologna, and Oxford. It was founded in the 12th century, and classes are still held there. Images of a frog, a symbol of sin for medieval students, are scattered across the university's facade. And for tourists, finding one of them means returning to this hospitable city again.
One of the most famous symbols of Riga is St. Peter's Church. At a height of 123 m there is an open observation deck, from which the best view of Old Riga is obtained. The tallest tower of the city has burned down many times and has been restored. Near the walls of the church there is a cheerful company – a sculptural composition made of metal depicting popular fairy-tale characters. A donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, standing on each other's backs, sing with their mouths wide open. The monument to the Bremen Town Musicians was given to Riga by its twin city Bremen. The polished noses of the donkey and dog make it clear what you need to touch when making a wish.
In Rome, there are signs associated with the famous Trevi Fountain. The fountain was built from Bernini's sketches, who loved theatrical effects. That is why the fountain square is akin to an auditorium, and the fountain itself plays the role of a stage. In the middle of it, a shell-carriage drawn by seahorses with the god Neptune rushes. Tourists are told that if you toss a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, standing with your back to the fountain, you will not be in Rome for the last time.
There is another sign associated with the same fountain, which is fed by water from an ancient aqueduct: if you drink water from the 'lovers' pipes,' you will never part with your loved ones. These pipes are located to the right of the fountain, if you stand facing it, near the rock. The landmark is a hat carved from stone.
The Parisian square in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral - Parvis Notre-Dame - is the exact center of Paris. Since 2006, the square has had a double name: Parvis Notre-Dame - Place Jean-Paul II, in honor of Pope John Paul II. Besides Notre-Dame Cathedral, the square is interesting for its historical statues and the point of origin from which distances between Paris and other cities are measured. Rare is the tourist who can resist the temptation to perform a simple ritual: find the 'Zero Point of the Roads of France' in front of the cathedral entrance, a medallion on the stone pavement, and stand on it to make a wish. The 'zero' gives no guarantees, but why not stand on it?
Something similar exists in Moscow. This tradition arose recently, because the 'Zero Kilometer' itself in front of the entrance to Red Square near the monument to Zhukov is relatively young. As in any city in the world, tourists are mainly interested in such signs. They say that you need to stand facing Red Square and throw a coin over your left shoulder. It is advisable to hit the center of the circle.
St. Petersburg also relatively recently acquired a spot for making wishes. This place is very small - right by the water near the Mikhailovsky Castle, where in a recess in the stone side of the embankment stands a figurine of the song hero Chizhik-Pyzhik. The tiny sculpture (11 cm high and weighing about 5 kg) was installed in 1994 in connection with the satire and humor festival 'Golden Ostap'. Chizhiks-Pyzhiks used to be the name for students of the Imperial School of Jurisprudence, who wore yellow-green uniforms and went to a tavern on the Fontanka. The bird is regularly stolen, but when it is in place, you can try your luck: if a thrown coin stays on the pedestal, then the wish will definitely come true.
Ancient history, coming to life at every step in Egypt, gives a special flavor to the holiday. The famous city of Luxor, where the light and sound show 'Voice and Light' is held, has been turned into an open-air museum of pharaohs, it is a world center of archaeology with a huge number of historical monuments. Near the lake at Amenhotep III, a stone figure of a scarab beetle is installed on a pedestal. For a wish to come true, you need to touch the beetle and walk around it seven times.