Roman Cats

I first visited Rome with My Brother in June 1992 and hadn't returned until last month*. Shockingly, the Eternal City has changed in 17 years. Or perhaps I have.

First, Rome feels decidedly safer. The Mister and I were not swarmed by young Gypsies. Waiting at the giant Termini train station this trip, I sipped my cappuccino and looked at Armani bra ads and wondered if it was really the same place I rushed through clenching my backpack, thankful that I had not been gassed on the incoming night train while my brother fended off those flapping maps and passes in his face. The city still bustled (and lurched and skidded while riding buses) but it felt only like a big city, not a big city out to get me. Much of this could be attributed to staying with a friend in a nice neighborhood rather than in a cheap hotel near the station, being 37 instead of 20, and not lugging most of my worldly possessions on my back, but some must be a difference in the city. Where have all the gypsies gone?

Secondly, the sights have changed. The forum is huge. It was big 17 years ago but not huge and definitely not connected to Palatine Hill. Excavation works. Had I made it into the Vatican Museums, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel would be different. Restoration apparently works.

Finally, the Colosseum cats are gone. This shocked me. The skinny gray feral cats sneaking in and out of the stonework were as iconic of Rome as the structure itself. There were hundreds 17 years ago. Now, the only public cats to be found are at the Argentine dig, and those cats are all well-fed, sterilized and tested; even if not quite friendly enough to talk to the Mister.

Later on the trip we encountered well-fed feral cats in Riomaggiore, the village we stayed in of the Cinque Terre, talking to the fishermen and tourists alike. The Mister offered to bring one home, but we decided it would miss the fresh fish and Mister Splashy Pants might not be so happy.

*Rome is fabulous, by the way. For an American, the depth of ages of stuff is phenomenal. There just aren't that many places where a renaissance cathedral is relatively very modern. The food can be fantastic, the public transportation is cheap and city buzzes. If one could only visit one European city, it would definitely top my list.