2016 ITALY Rome 6 - Cat Heaven Haven

Onward ... more churches. Then we arrived at the ancient Campus Martius. It includes several notable sites.

At one corner is the Torre del Papito (Little Pope's Tower) at 57 feet tall. It was built in the 14th century. Its connecting palace was torn down and the tower now stands alone as a notable Roman bus stop.

Next to the tower (would be located lower left on this map) is the famous Largo di Torre Argentina archaeological site. These are the oldest temples in Rome built as far back as 400 BC. The area is one level below the street surface.

In 1909, it was decided to demolish the palace connected to the tower and reconstruct the space for "modern" use. In the process, however, the colossal head and arms of a marble statue were discovered.

This lead to the excavation and restoration of this ancient and sacred area. The complex includes foundations of four temples (A, B, C, D above), a 100-column portico, the Baths of Agrippa, another taller tower, and more.

This is temple "A."
Behind "A" in the area of the white-ish building was the Theatre of Pompey. Part of this structure included gardens and displays of art.

Another part of the theatre was the curia, a complex for public meetings. The Roman Senate often used this building for government business. And ... this is the infamous spot where Julius Caesar was murdered by Cassius Longinus and the two Brutus cousins on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

Look at the above diagram again. That space is located within in the red circle on this map. The Theatre of Pompey is the big building with half round at left. All the space outside the red circle is below modern structures of today, but not excavated.

Today this "neighborhood" stands as a reminder of the most ancient of Rome, yet it serves a modern use. It is an official cat sanctuary. Rome has a no-kill law regarding cats. So cats freely roam the city, entertaining people while they earn a living as pest exterminators.

In these ruins live about 150 free-roaming and pampered cats. What a playground! Volunteers feed and care for them (including spaying and neutering), and clean the area daily. Anna Magnani, famous Italian actress, was a great supporter of this project. I caught this orange kitty dashing through the stone blocks.

Cat lovers read more or make a donation to the cause at: http://www.romancats.com/torreargentina/en/youcanhelp.php