ArcheoRunning, Rome’s innovative wellness tourism company that has been redefining how visitors experience the Eternal City since 2016, announces the launch of its newest offering: Cats of Rome. From Egyptian sphinxes to the present-day “gatti di Roma” (cats of Rome) colonies, cats and Rome are connected through a long mix of history, religion, and urban culture. Following the pawprints, the new 3.5-mile tour delves deep into how the Roman world was shaped by Egyptian culture, most notably through the symbol of the cat. As sacred beings protected by the goddess Bastet, cats have long been revered as guardians of home, life, and the unseen, a quiet legacy which feels uncannily present in Rome to this day.
The Cats of Rome Running Tour begins near the Pantheon in the heart of the Campo Marzio, once home to the center of Egyptian worship in Rome – the Temple of Isis and Serapis. Here, runners pause to take in the mystery of the rituals that once took place within these great ruins. Moving through narrow streets at dawn, when the city falls quiet and the air is still cool, runners then head to the Largo di Torre Argentina, where Rome’s largest living feline colony wanders through the remains of temples on the site linked to Julius Caesar’s assassination. Participants will meet the cats who stretch in the sun, sleep on relic columns, and watch the city with timeless calm, echoing the movements of their ancestors who have stood watch here for centuries. Then runners move upward toward the Capitoline Hill. At the base of the Cordonata, two Egyptian sphinxes guard the ascent, standing as unmistakable remnants of Rome’s fascination with Egypt. After passing the Colosseum and the Tiber, The Pyramid of Cestius marks the finish line, a striking reminder of how deeply Egyptian culture shaped the Roman world. Nearby, among trees and quiet paths, more cats rest undisturbed on 2,000 years of history – a symbol of the contrast people love about Rome: ancient ruins mixed with everyday life.
