Cats from Venice {Italy}

Venice, the city of water, is also a city of cats. In the watery world of gondolas and bridges, cats and people live together comfortably. No cars disturb the peace or threaten the inhabitants.

Crossing the two-and-a-half mile bridge from Mestre on the mainland, you arrive at Piazzale Roma, west of the train station. From this point, you have only two travel choices: to go by boat or on foot.

The only vehicles seen in Venice are carts silently rolling across an arched bridge or rumbling down a path between busy streets. Children on bicycles fitted with training wheels unsteadily circle the plazas, as mothers push baby carriages and watch over the bicycling children.

The Venetians are tolerant of cats. In fact, the cats of Venice are cherished, fed, and watched over by people who appreciate the serenity and self-sufficiency of cats.

Once, when I was strolling down a passage, the bony remains of a fish suddenly fell from a high window right down next to a cat. This act of serendipity did not surprise me--it was in keeping with the mystery of the city.

Source: The Cats of Venice by Shin Otani