The term Marzocco is derived from uncertain etymology, but from the Latin “martius” = Mars. Another explanation is that Marzocco is the contraction of the word Martocus, which means little Marte. The most famous of these representations is undoubtedly that of Donatello.
Dante is convinced that the city of Florence was originally dedicated to Mars. This is also mentioned in the Divine Comedy. The statue of the Roman god located near the Ponte Vecchio was overwhelmed by the flood of 1333.
