Cats and Italy Make the Purrfect Holiday by Barb Kohn
Friends of Roman Cats is once again offering its unique Cats and
Culture Italian tour October 7-19 this year. The 12-day educational
tour is an opportunity for lovers of cats—and all things Italian—to
learn how another country deals with its homeless cat problem.
Susan
Rapp, co-founder of the San Francisco based nonprofit that raises money
to support trap, neuter and release (TRN) programs for homeless cats
throughout Italy (see When in Rome, trap, neuter and release homeless cats)
explains that Italy is a no-kill country where cats have been
appreciated for centuries for their companionship and for keeping down
rodent populations.
The tour is an opportunity to connect with
dedicated individuals in another country who take care of stray cats.
She noted that all tour profits will go to support Italy’s stay cats.
Tour Itinerary
The
tour starts in Venice where you will meet some of the cats whose
ancestors came from the Middle East to combat plague-carrying black
rats. You’ll visit a cat colony that lives in Venice’s main public
hospital and see more cats and their dedicated caretaker on Venice’s
Lido Island. You’ll have plenty of time to visit some of this most
beautiful city’s greatest artistic treasures.
The tour continues
in Florence where you will see cats that live in a magnificent
Renaissance garden and in a picturesque cemetery that looks down on the
City. Participants will have ample time to explore this art-rich city.
Then you will visit a cat sanctuary in the Tuscan hills on a property
donated by a beneficent Countess.
Next it’s on to the medieval
town of Arezzo to meet with an Anglo-Italian veterinarian who has
created a 21st century cat shelter outside the town. After that, it’s a
day and night in the beautiful hill town of Siena where you’ll get a
guided tour of the town and visit with a group that works with the
Sienese municipality to spay and neuter Siena’s stray cats.
The
final three days will be in Rome, visiting the Forum, Coliseum, the
Vatican, the Trevi Fountain and other monuments as well as some of the
cat colonies that live in the midst of Roman ruins. A good number of
the cats you’ll visit in Rome in shelters and sanctuaries are former
house cats that have either been abandoned or whose owners could no
longer care for them.
Tour package
The tour
includes three-star hotels or better with breakfasts, some dinners, a
comfortable private bus, a one-time transfer from the Venice airport to
the hotel, Vaporetto (Venetian water buses) tickets for two days in
Venice, entrance fees to some museums and historical sites, local city
guides and all the cats you can desire!
Land price is $3,025
double occupancy (single supplement $549) and includes a $250 tax
deductible donation to Friends of Roman Cats. Land price is based on
the current exchange rate and may increase if there are fewer than 15
participants. Airfare is extra. If you make your own arrangements, you
are responsible for getting to the first hotel. A $500 deposit is
required and travel insurance recommended. There is a $50 discount if
you sign up before April 15.
For more information contact: Susan Wheeler, who will be your guide, at rappwheel@aol.com or call (415) 334-8036.
Buon viaggo!
Barb Kohn
is a communications consultant. She has a passion for the welfare of
animals and has volunteered with many San Francisco Bay Area rescue and
shelter organizations, including Homeless Cat Network, Peninsula Fix
Our Ferals, Pets in Need and Furry Friends Rescue. She also is the
National Cats Examiner for the Examiner.com.
