Among the masterpieces preserved in the Capitoline Museums in Rome, there is an extraordinary ancient bronze statue called Spinario, depicting a twelve-year-old child, sitting on a rock and leaning forward as if trying to remove a thorn from his foot. His name is Marzio, a shepherd boy from Vitorchiano, whose legend dates back to the 4th century BC..
The bronze statue of Marzio, housed in the Capitoline Museums – photo by www.museicapitolini.org
According to legend, the boy, while running towards the City in order to warn the Romans of an attack planned by the Etruscans, pierced his foot with a thorn, removed it, and continued his heroic run. Arrived at the Capitoline Hill, he barely succeeded in his mission before dying exhausted at the feet of the senators. Thus, Rome was saved, and Martius became a hero.
Many are the sculptures dedicated to the young man displayed in the world’s most important museums, but the bronze Spinario, donated by Pope Sixtus IV to the Roman people and housed in the Capitoline Museums, is the most famous and perfect one.
The statue of Martius in Vitorchiano – photo by Alessandro Vagnoni
Vitorchiano also wanted to remember the myth of its fellow villager Marzio with a peperino statue, created by Luigi Fondi in 1979, placed at the entrance to the village in Piazza Umberto I.