| Rome.
At the southern end of Piazza Navona is the small Piazza di Pasquino.
The statue, an ancient Roman torso which was much admired by Bernini,
was placed in the square in 1501. This became known as a 'talking
statue' to which people attached witty or caustic criticisms of
the people who ruled the city. A prosperous tailor in the area,
Pasquino, was credited with having inaugurated this form of public
satire, and the messages left on the statue (and other similar statues
around the city) became known as "pasquinade".
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