So This one Time in Orvieto...

This past weekend I ventured to the beautiful city of Orvieto just north of Rome. This town is unique as it is situated on the top of a volcanic mass, which has been honey-combed into a complex mass of caves. These caves have historically been used as personal storage for the houses above, and during World War 1 as bomb shelters. Some of the caves remain undiscovered while some are still in use and others open for public touring. 

Because of the distinctive landscape of this town, I was unsure about the cat population that would reside there. Unbeknownst to me, I was in for a big surprise. 

To reach the city, we had to take a funicular, which is a tram that runs up and down the slopes of cities and mountains: 

Once the doors opened at the top, I had a gut feeling there were cats in the air. 

Before it was even lunch time, I had already seen 9 cats, blowing my past record out of the water. Some friendly, some not so friendly. 

I had a good sesh with this cat: 

4/5 Purrs.

who quickly ate all the treats that I had brought. 

That was hardly the end of it. I ran into 2 beautiful kittens who were stuck inside a shop window, being taunted by 2 strays outside of the shop. Once the owner returned, I jumped at the opportunity to meet the two little kittens.

PC: Emily Chafetz, 2013©

I still had many cats to conquer in Orvieto. While looking over the scenic outlook:

I turned a corner and stumbled on the motherland of all cats. I was completely surrounded by upwards of 14 cats, I lost count!

By far, my favorite cat that I met in Orvieto was this cat who I met in a small sandwich shop in the center of town. This cat lives my dream. Spends all day just being a cat and watches great sandwiches being made. He even hopped up on to my lap to sample some of my porchetta. 

The owner of the told me that this cat comes in every morning and leaves every night, he just likes to sit in that chair and soak up the sun and company of others. Man, what a life. 

I will be back, Orvieto. I will be back. 

The Day of Five (5) Cats

What a day, man. What a day. 

Midway through my run this morning, I decided to take a pit stop in my favorite garden just outside of the city, long enough to take in the sights and grab a quick breath of somewhat fresh air. 

Giardino delle Rose

I turned to continue on my way, but not for long. As I was exiting the gardens I was stopped dead in my tracks. 

A black cat.

I nervously approached, but was eagerly greeted by the sickly looking feline. Boy was this cat happy to see me. He was loving the pets that I was dishing out. 

4/5 purrs

We had a great time together, and although I got some odd looks from the surrounding tourists, I was so happy with this cat.

The even better news is that I discovered this cat's owner and he informed me that he lives nearby and so does the cat. I finally had to continue on with my day, but I will be back for this loving cat.

Back down the hill I went. Low and behold, a familiar cat! 

This cat and I had crossed paths a few months prior (see post #2). He was still quite timid so this was the closest I could get before he scurried away. Still, it's great to see old pals. 

Later that day, I decided to take a stroll through the Boboli Gardens. 

 

In the past when I had visited these gardens, my cat senses were at an all time high, but I just couldn't seem to find them! Well today, I had the pleasure of finding THREE WHOLE CATS. 

I spotted the first one after seeing two small cat houses (picture a dog house, just smaller). I peered further through the bushes and there he was. A majestic, fat, and fluffy cat. 

1/5 purrs

We dipped into the bushes and to my surprise. There was another cat. This one was orange, and equally as fat. 

The first cat promptly ran away but I approached this cat with a graceful feline form and before I knew it. We were vibin'. 

We got along great. It was so content in just hanging out with us and being pet. 

She even liked my roommate!

5/5 purrs for sure.

After a while, we decided it was time to move on. Though we swore to return to find this cat, next time bringing it well deserved treats. 

Upon exiting the gardens, another black cat appeared. This cat was so difficult to get a read on. 

0/5 purrs

In fact I had an unusually unpleasant experience with this cat and he is hardly worth mentioning. This cat may or may not have given me a serious case of cat scratch fever. Only time will tell. 

So that concludes a very amazing day, cat-wise. It's so comforting to know that there are plenty of cats out there in the world, just waiting to be discovered.