Mermaid Statues in Italy – Part 1

It is time to get some of the mermaid statues in Italy properly represented and shown on Mermaids of Earth.   There are at least seven locations in Italy with mermaid statues, and I suspect we’ll find quite a few more.

We’ll start with the small city of Senigallia on the north-east coast of Italy, which has its own ‘little mermaid’ statue. She is found at the end of the pier at Porto di Levante, Senigallia’s harbor.

The statue is known as Penelope of Senigallia, but is also popularly referred to as ‘the little mermaid of Senigallia’, by comparison with Copenhagen’s famous mermaid statue by Edvard Eriksen, representing The Little Mermaid in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale.

Although Penelope is not really a mermaid, one could easily be forgiven for assuming that she is, apparently emerging from water at the end of the pier.

Just as The Little Mermaid is a symbol of Denmark and Copenhagen, Penelope has become a symbol of Senigallia. The statue was created by Gianni Guerro and was inaugurated as his gift to the city on July 2004. She represents Penelope (wife of Homer’s Odysseus), who longs for and waits for her husband’s return for 20 years. By extension, the statue represents all lovers who are separated and waiting for the other’s return.

The inscription by the statue reads:

Chiunque Tu sia    ovunque Tu vada    la Tua Penelope    sia sempre con Te     Gianni Guerra    3 luglio 1994

Whoever you are    wherever you go    your Penelope    is always with you     Gianni Guerro    3 July 1994

As a symbol of undying love, the pier with the statue of Penelope is a very popular spot for weddings. Also, there are numerous chains with padlocks around Penelope, fastened here by couples in love – some of whom surely will come back here for their weddings.

See the official page for more photos and information.

And stay tuned for more mermaid statues from Italy!