Colonna dell’Abbondanza

Allow me to Wikipedia you. The exact present site of the Colonna Dovizia dell’Abbondanza marks the intersection of the old Roman main streets in Florence — THE bellybutton of old Florentia! It is probable there was originally a Roman column here around 2,000 years ago, but there are no records.
This beauty was built in 1431, and Donatello’s Dovizia statue on top, as well as two bells — the top one to ring when the Mercato Vecchio would open and close, and the bottom one to ring in order to publicly embarrass dishonest merchants and bad, bad debtors.
In 1721 Donatello’s statue sadly fell from the column due to bad weather. Soon after it was replaced by a similar statue by Giovan Battista Foggini.
Just like any famous celebrity, Piazza della Repubblica went thru many make-​overs and face-​lifts thru the years, and sometime in the late 1880’s the colonna was taken out, separated from Foggini’s statue (the statue was taken to a museum), and dumped near the old city wall close to Porta Romana. In its original place in th Piazza, a statue for Vittorio Emanuele II was put up in 1890 until 1932.
Finally, in 1956, the historic Colonna was moved back in its original spot in Piazza Repubblica, and reunited with Foggini’s statue — a replica actually, the original was moved to the Palazzo della Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, and it’s still there.
Next time you’re enjoying your gelato sitting on the base of this Colonna, look up and admire its incredible history.