Places near me Random place
All Italy Mantua Palazzo Aldegatti's Cat

Palazzo Aldegatti's Cat

This decoration above a door, an unofficial family crest, is said to come alive during the night to try to get free of the stone.

Mantua, Italy

Added By
Lakehurst
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Above the main door of the Palazzo Aldegatti in Mantua, there is a natural size cat's head that has watched over the building's comings and goings since 1540.

The cat's head is a joke on the family's surname, in Italian gatti means "cats," and the portal decoration is an unofficial family crest. The story behind the cat claims that the head comes alive during the night, trying to escape from its stone jail and it sometimes meowing to try to draw attention to its condition. Its facial expression—something between an expression of annoyance and a crazed look—could be the origin of the legend.

Related Tags

Cats Architecture Puns Medieval

Community Contributors

Added By

Lakehurst

Published

June 21, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Places

  • The cliffside village of Rocamadour.

    Rocamadour, France

    Rocamadour

    This medieval village clings to a cliff in southwestern France.

  • Conwy Suspension Bridge

    Conwy, Wales

    Conwy Suspension Bridge

    One of the oldest suspension bridges in the world blends in perfectly with a medieval castle.

  •

    Galway, Ireland

    Spanish Arch

    Despite the name, this 16th-century structure in Galway wasn't built by the Spanish.

  • St Olaves, England

    St. Olave's Priory

    This building from the Middle Ages was dedicated to the patron saint of Norway.

  • Murals inside the Church of St. Stephen in Nessebar

    Nessebar, Bulgaria

    Church of St. Stephen

    Step inside this medieval Orthodox gem and travel back to the 16th century.

  • Toledo, Ohio

    The Cloister

    Centuries-old columns from French monasteries provide structure for this courtyard within an Ohio art museum.

  •

    West Stow, England

    West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village

    This meticulously reconstructed early medieval settlement offers an immersive experience of daily life in an Anglo-Saxon community.

  •

    Teruel, Spain

    Escalinata del Óvalo

    This grandiose staircase was part of the revival of a medieval Spanish architectural style combining Christian and Islamic influences.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member