Rome legends: St. Peter's columns and the lucky myth

There are many weird and wonderful ways to get rich in the world, and this is another.
There is an old legend regarding one of the columns of St.
Peter’s square in Rome, which has it that a few centuries ago a German pilgrim scratched his name into one of the 284 columns.

While in the past (and even now), there was often the bad habit of autographing places to say “I was here”, but around this particular “act of vandalism”, a real urban myth has developed.
The story goes that whoever finds the signed column will be lucky.

You only need some patience and a little adventurous spirit to find the signature (which is still perfectly leggible, according to Gabriele La Porta and Francesco Fantasia in their book “Roma magica e misteriosa“).
Once found you need to pass your hand over it, and then go and play lotto with your birth date – for example if you were born in 1980 you play the number 19, then 80, then followed by the month and day.
Apparently victory is assured.
But whatever the luck, it could be fun to stroll and play about the columns looking for a signature that may give you a different perspective on this incredible place.