Overview
- The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II bull mosaic was taken apart and repaired by hand between May 27 and May 30 by restorer Gianluca Galli, who removed damaged tesserae and laid new pieces in plain view of passersby.
- Galli set the new, hand-cut tiles with epoxy resin rather than traditional lime-and-sand mortar to improve resistance to daily wear from thousands of visitors.
- When the repair was briefly revealed, social media users mocked the bull for appearing to lack its trademark pink testicles and questioned the aesthetics and the reported cost of about €30,000.
- Galli said the job was not yet finished and denied intentionally removing the testicles, and city officials defended the intervention as routine care of a 'living heritage' site while the mosaic is temporarily covered as the tiles settle.
- The episode highlights a wider problem: luck-seeking tourist rituals damage public monuments and force conservators to choose between traditional methods and modern materials that may better withstand heavy use.