The Pyramid - 3 - A Cat Sanctuary

On the northern side of the Pyramid, attached to the Acatholic  there is an area where, amid ancient columns and other ruins lives one of Rome's oldest colony of street cats, with its foundation dating back to 1850. Street cats are a common sight in Rome, especially in the center's archaelogical areas (such as around the Coliseum, Largo di Torre Agentina, and so on...) where they can live without the risks of traffic. The are usually fed by another typical Roman character: the so-called "Gattara": usually a woman, often an elderly one, who loves cats and takes charge of feeding the ones of the area where she lives. 


In the Feline Colony a group of volunteers formed an association to take care of the cats, and it can be visited daily from 2 till 4 PM. A nice bonus for cat lovers visiting the Pyramid and the neighbouring Acatholic Cemetery.

The Pyramid - 1 - The Spur of Richness

Rome is the only European city to boast a real ancient pyramid. The monument itself is not comparable at all with the marvelous Egyptian pyramids, much larger and way older, still it has its own special technical aspects and interesting story.

The pyramid was built at the beginning of the 1st Century AD by the heirs of Caius Caestius, a rich and powerful Roman man who was part of the syndicate of the "Septemviri Epulones" (A group of people who were in charge of organizing the main celebrations and banquets that had to take place in Rome.

Caius Caestius in his will specified that the heirs would not get any of his wealth, unless they built for him a tomb, reminiscent of that of a Pharaoh, within one year from his death. So the heirs started working at this project, and with the help of skilled technicians, and using the technique of the Roman Concrete, which is especially light and strong, managed to build a pyramid which, depite being only a mere 30 meters tall, has one of the steepest angles among the ancient buildings of this kind. Ancient reports tell us, that the project was completed in a mere 330 days from the death of Caius Caestius, so the heirs could enjoy the inherited, and now well deserved, wealth. 

Stay tuned for more information about this area!

Emanuele

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