One of the colony’s feline residents roaming amid the site’s ancient ruins
photography by: Omri Westmark
With over 300,000 cats citywide, Rome is replete with feline colonies, just as it is with Roman-era archaeological sites. Nestled alongside the remnants of four ancient temples and the Theatre of Pompey, Torre Argentina's cat sanctuary serves as a shelter for dozens of mousers who occasionally bask atop the ancient ruins. Operated solely by volunteers who feed, sterilize, and care for the cats, the shelter is open to feline-loving visitors year-round.
By: Omri Westmark
Date: 11:30 28.04.23
Last Update: 11:40 31.12.24
During the 1920s, vast parts of Rome underwent a massive reconstruction process in which hundreds of buildings were demolished. The large-scale facelift was the brainchild of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who sought to redefine the city according to the principles of the fascist ideology to which he adhered. When the square of Largo di Torre Argentina became the focus of Mussolini’s rebuilding campaign in 1927, workers uncovered parts of the city’s famed Teatro di Pompeo next to four temples, dating back to the Roman Republic era.
As soon as the excavation work was completed, the site was swarmed by hordes of feral cats, for whom the ancient ruins provided a coveted refuge from the city’s hectic traffic. Roughly two decades later, a local actor named Antonio Crast came across a derelict storehouse, formerly used by archaeologists. As an aficionado of cats, Crast began using the space as a feeding ground for the large number of felines.
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
In the following years, the warehouse became a magnet for gattare (cat ladies) who followed in Crast’s footsteps and took care of the colony’s feline residents. In 1993, a pair of cat ladies, Lia Dequel and Silvia Viviani, transformed the storage space into a sanctuary, providing medical care, food, and shelter to the hundreds of Torre Argentina’s kitties. To control the area’s ever-growing population of stray cats, the sanctuary also launched a large-scale initiative to neuter and spay as many animals as possible, including cats from other colonies throughout Rome.
Run entirely by volunteers, the sanctuary serves as a permanent home to more than 100 cats, the overwhelming majority of whom are either blind, elderly, or missing a limb. The center is open to visitors, who can caress the furry residents, make a much-needed donation, purchase a souvenir made by the workers, or even adopt a feline friend. To access the sanctuary, go down the stairway on the southwestern corner of the square.
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
