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After charming thousands of visitors and turning into genuine social media celebrities, the cats that live inside the archaeological area of Pompeii have now become the stars of a photographic book dedicated to them.
The book, entitled Cats of Pompeii, is published by Giunti Editore in collaboration with the Pompeii Archaeological Park. Richly illustrated, it tells the stories of the everyday life of the feline colony that inhabits the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The volume grew out of photographs donated to the Park by archaeologist and photographer Silvia Vacca and offers a journey into the most unusual and captivating side of the ancient city. The shots capture the cats as they roam among domus, gardens and Roman streets, providing an original perspective on a presence that has long since become an integral part of the Pompeian landscape.
The Park’s feline colony numbers between forty and fifty animals, and their presence is constantly monitored through a management and protection system that makes it possible to combine animal welfare with the conservation of the archaeological heritage and the safety of visitors. The Park has also introduced a video surveillance system to prevent animals being abandoned.
Thanks to cooperation with the charity Archeogatti Onlus, chaired by Antonella Carotenuto, the Archaeological Park also ensures sterilisation campaigns, health checks, measures to prevent abandonment, and the management of feeding the colony and arranging adoptions for some of the “archaeologist” cats.
Cats in ancient Pompeii
The presence of cats in Pompeii is a symbolic feature of life at the site. Ongoing archaeological research sheds light on the relationship between humans and felines in the ancient world, while today these animals remain a familiar sight and are much appreciated by visitors from all over the globe.
The camera lens reveals intimate, evocative images taken during the Park’s quietest moments, when the streets of the ancient city fall silent once more. Out of this comes a portrait of a different Pompeii, where safeguarding cultural heritage goes hand in hand with protecting the animals that have inhabited its spaces for years.
“Cats of Pompeii” is available at sales points in the Pompeii Archaeological Park and through Giunti’s distribution channels.