LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 10

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

The Torre Argentina cat sanctuary is open noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

It is very easy to reach by public transit, because more than half of the city’s major bus routes stop at it, as Torre Argentina is one of the largest transit hubs in all of Rome.

There also is a taxi stand on the north side of the square.

It is a 20 minute walk from the Colosseo and 12 minutes from the Foro Romano.

Largo di Torre Argentina is less than a half hour, walking or by bus, from the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square.

It is a five-minute walk from the Jewish Ghetto, Tiber Island and the famed Ponte Cestio bridge over the River Tiber.

The site is a 30 minute walk from Termini Train Station and less than 20 minutes by bus from that access point to all of Italy.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 9

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

All Torre Argentina cats available for adoption are sterilized, vaccinated, treated against external and internal parasites and tested for FELV and FIV.

"Which does not mean that they cannot harbor any ailments, like us, like you," the volunteers quip.

That's why the sanctuary offers, within 20 days of adoption, a free visit to its vet.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 8

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

There is a special space for cats with disabilities.

Because street cats get injured and neglected, there are a fair number of cats who:

*are blind in one or both eyes

*have hearing loss

*deal with the effects of head injuries

*are missing a limb or ear

*have arthritis or mobility issues

*are being treated for kidney failure

*have Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

All are happy, safe, comfortable, in treatment and treated with respect and dignity.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 7

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

While visiting and petting the roaming (most cats in the sanctuary stay there, but some wander back and forth between the safety of the indoor area and the adventure of the ancient Roman ruins) felines, you can talk about real or distance adoption.

The small (watch your head if you are more than 5 foot tall) area also is adorned with tons of souvenirs to purchase to support the cats.

We bought a calendar – featuring the actual Torre Argentina cats, magnets and hand towels.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

There also are cat bed cushions, sweaters, T-shirts and dozens of other items hand-crafted and sold to support the sanctuary.

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 6

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

Everyone from adorable kittens to older cats hang out inside the cramped, but loving quarters of the cat ladies.

There are a few male volunteers but for centuries, Roman cats have been cared for by traditionally by neighborhood cat ladies called “gattare.” 

Former opera singer Silvia Viviani and the late Lia Dequel created the sanctuary in the late 1990s.

Viviani, who speaks flawless English for those of us visitors who have not learned Italian, continues to head the organization.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 5

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

The Largo Argentina ruins take up a full city block in the heart of Rome’s Centro Storico.

The site, largely neglected and off limits to visitors other than getting a view from the walls at street level, may benefit from a public access project soon.

It is very close to both the Pantheon, Campo di Fiori and Piazza Novana.

The #8 trolley to Trastevere rattles right overhead of the small, low-ceilinged former storage area occupied by the cat sanctuary mini hospital, inside home for disabled cats, offices of the organization and visitor center.

Unfortunately, the area can be accessed only by a long steel staircase, so it is not wheelchair-accessible.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 4

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

Many cats live among the ruins of Largo di Torre Argentina.

A 1929 excavation found four temples -- A-B-C-D – underneath Medieval and Renaissance buildings on the site.

A big podium of tuff blocks located in the western side of the site is all that remains of the Curia Pompei.

This is where the Roman Senate assembled at the time.

It is where Julius Caesar, Dictator of Rome, was killed on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 3

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

The best way to support the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary is to join the distance adoption program.

Adopting at distance is a symbolic gesture that allows you to express affection to a particular cat.

Sponsors receive news and photographs to show to friends.

While kittens and young cats find new homes, it is much more difficult to re-home an elderly or special needs cat.

Distance adoption costs € 15 per month.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 2

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

Like the sign says, the all-volunteer sanctuary re-homed more than 100 cats, housed another 100+ in their shelter, cared for more than 300 cats and spayed/neutered more than 6,000 cats.

All this is done with little to no government support.

Most donations come through visitors who go to the sanctuary at the historic site while in Rome.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/

LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA CAT SANCTUARY -- PART 1

LOVING CARE FOR DISABLED AND STRAY CATS 
AMONG THE OLDEST TEMPLES IN ROME

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is the oldest in Rome.

https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/