World’s top 10 good luck monuments

Reuters says that whether you choose to rub, kiss or pat them, travel website VirtualTourist.com has come up with a list of the top 10 monuments in the world believed to bring good luck.

Whether it’s noses, bellies or bottoms, these talismans brave the affections of thousands trying to improve their lot, VirtualTourist.com general manager Giampiero Ambrosi said.

“It’s amazing how seriously these superstitions are taken, to the point where people plan their itineraries around them. Fertility, money, shyness, whatever ails you, chances are you can probably find something to rub and make it go away,” he added.

The following list was provided by VirtualTourist.com and is not endorsed by Reuters.

1. Victor Noir Grave; Pere Lachaise, Paris, France

Although not nearly as famous a personality as most of the names in this star-studded cemetery, Noir’s grave is one of the site’s prime attractions. A rub of his trousers is thought to increase fertility and as such is often frequented by women hoping to become pregnant.

2. Showgirls Bronze; Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

If luck is truly a lady then visitors to Las Vegas should make the kick-line statue outside the Riviera’s Crazy Girls review a priority. It’s said that a little fanny pat will increase gamblers’ odds.

3. Bull Mosaic; Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Milan, Italy

If shoppers in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele look a little dizzy there’s a good reason. Legend has it that planting your heel on the testicles of the mall’s bull mosaic and spinning around will bring good luck.

4. Blarney Stone; Blarney Castle, Blarney, Co Cork, Ireland

At a loss for words? Try kissing the Blarney Stone. Thought to give visitors exceptional powers of speech, the stone must be kissed upside down from a prone position. In an effort to ensure the safety of visiting kissers, Blarney Castle provides a worker to assist in the process.

5. Sensoji Temple; Tokyo, Japan

Visitors to the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo believe that a little of the temple’s incense rubbed on an aching body part acts as a cure-all for everything from sore throats to backaches.

6. Chandelier; Cochem Castle, Cochem, Germany

As if a mermaid with antlers was not unusual enough, this one is thought to bring good luck. The worn-down paint on the sea creature’s red tummy is proof of how many believers come to give the fixture a little tickle.

7. Intihuatana Stone; Machu Picchu, Peru

Originally constructed as a time measurement device by which sacred ceremonies could be planned, the Intihuatana Stone has developed a secondary function. Some say that sensitive types can rub their foreheads against the stone and see spirits.

8. Manhole Covers; Sweden

Its hard enough to look out for cracks in the sidewalk, but in Sweden residents also have to look out for manhole covers. Labeled with letters that represent different things like “love” or “lost love,” pedestrians either avoid or touch their feet to the covers depending on what fate they might bring.

9. Lincoln’s Tomb; Springfield, Illinois

Its been reported that people from all over the world come to not only pay their respects to Abraham Lincoln but touch the tip of the former president’s nose, thought to be lucky.

10. Il Porcellino; Sydney, Australia

Visitors who think they’ve seen this somewhere else would be right. A copy of the famous Il Porcellino in Florence, this boar was a gift to the Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital. Like its counterpart, the statue’s snout is said to bring good luck to those who rub it.

A Report by The Mole