Cat Sanctuary set in the famous ruins of Torre Argentina

Just five minutes from Piazza Venezia, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, Largo di Torre Argentina is largely known as the square where you often have to change buses, but located into its middle is an excavated zone sporting the ruins of four ancient Roman temples, with Rome’s largest colony of stray cats, a no-kill shelter for homeless cats called Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, where feral cats are fed and cared for. Today, volunteers at Torre Argentina care for over 250 stray cats. Legend has it that the cats are hosts for the ghosts of ancient Romans. This superb site is both a picturesque excavation of four Republican temples and a heart-warming  sanctuary for the homeless cats of the city of Rome. They are safe here, get food and medical care. There is also a headquarters where kittens and cats needing special care can receive it. The site has been hardly ever opened to the public over the years. Still, the Roman ruins at Torre Argentina and the Cat Sanctuary can easily be viewed and enjoyed from outside. Largo Argentina sunken ruins all the more amazing for the fact that they just sort of sit there unremarked upon, which is particularly puzzling given that the area of Largo di Torre Argentina is the exact spot where researchers believe Brutus, Cassius and the other conspirators fell upon Julius Caesar and stabbed him to death in 44 B.C. Alongside the eastern edge of the excavation zone you can see the remains of some brick walls. This was part of the Pompey’s Theater and the Baths complex, used in the 1st century B.C. the Roman Senate while the main Senate building was being reconstructed in the Roman Forum. Largo di Torre Argentina is a major bus stop, so you will surely pass through at some point. If you love cats and animals in general, you should absolutely check out this extraordinary place. It is a great stop and it is an enjoyable break from the normal tourist activities in Italy’s capital city. If you prefer a guided tour that comprises a visit to the Largo di Torre Argentina, there are a number of sightseeing tours to choose from.

Tags: religious sites in Rome, sacred sites in Rome, top attractions in rome