“Big fat cat! I noticed, you know? Pretend you’re reading the newspaper... Ah! You’re a spy, you are!” says the protagonist of the classic Italian film "An American in Rome" (1954), as he addresses a cat eating from a sheet of newspaper on the street, set against the historic ruins of the Portico d’Ottavia. This scene, known as the “Gatto mammone,” has remained firmly in the memory of Italian audiences.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that this scene became so iconic as cats have left their mark on Rome for centuries. This trace is not only cultural but also historical: the earliest remains of domestic cats found in Italy were discovered in Rome, at the protohistoric hut of Fidene, dating back to the Iron Age.
“It is a very ancient love,” says Valeria Arnaldi, author of the book "Roma Gattara: I luoghi della passione romana per i felini," referring to the affection the city’s inhabitants have for cats. She explains in her book that these animals are more than mere inhabitants of the streets; they are inseparable from Rome itself, appearing in art, cinema and even sacred spaces.
The cats of Rome were so deeply cared for that a profession unique to the city emerged and survived until the first half of the 20th century: the "carnacciari," itinerant vendors who carried a pole on their shoulders with pieces of meat hanging from both ends, selling food specifically for cats, most often domestic ones. Some sources even suggest that this profession continued as late as 1944. It is known that in some cases carnacciari would gather stray cats attracted by the smell of meat and even sell them.
The figure of the carnacciaro, surrounded by hungry cats waiting to be fed, is clearly depicted in several works by the Roman illustrator Bartolomeo Pinelli (1781-1835).
In Rome, cats make their presence felt not only throughout the city but also in religious spaces such as the Vatican. In one of the most important chapels of the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, home to breathtaking artworks and the site of papal elections since the 15th century, in the lower right corner of The Last Supper by Italian artist Cosimo Roselli (1439–1507), a cat can be seen preparing to fight with a dog. This confrontation is believed to be symbolic, with the cat representing Judas’s betrayal and the dog symbolizing loyalty.
The Vatican's connection with cats is also evident in recent history during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), who served from 2005 to 2013. Pope Benedict cared for stray cats in the Vatican Gardens and was known to feed them personally.
The Vatican Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone recalls: “He would stop, speak a few words to them in German, probably in the Bavarian dialect. He always brought them something to eat and would lead them behind him to the courtyard of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”
Created by David Vecchiato and Maria Rita Delli Quadri and brought to life in 2016, the PopStairs Project aims to enrich various areas of Rome through street art. As part of this initiative, stairways have been adorned with portraits of prominent female figures of cinema such as Ingrid Bergman, Monica Vitti, and Elena Sofia Ricci.
Among them is Anna Magnani, the Roman-born actress deeply associated with the city and the first Italian to win an Academy Award for "The Rose Tattoo" (1955). Remembered not only for her performances but also for her love of cats, Magnani stands apart from the others: her portrait appears on two different stairways: one accompanied by a cat, the other by a dog. Rome never portrays her alone.
Although the number of stray cats in Rome, estimated at around 56,000, is far smaller than in Istanbul, often referred to as the “city of cats,” where the feline population is believed to exceed 125,000, Arnaldi argues that Rome, too, can be considered a city of cats. As she states, “Cats have crossed the entire history of Rome, and there is therefore a long-standing familiarity that, I believe, still makes Rome a city of cats today.”
She goes on to describe the city itself as feline in nature: “Rome is a city that, in many ways, resembles a cat, proud and detached, independent in its beauty, yet ready to purr for those who dedicate time to it, with their gaze and a touch of sensitive attention.” At the same time, she affirms that this relationship is often overlooked. “As Romans, we often think we already know everything about our city,” she says. “But in reality, if we learned to look at it in a new way, the city would tell us many other stories, some of which are now at risk of being lost.”
