Today we are not very used to seeing mice for the city, but in the past between the Middle Ages and Renaissance the city of Florence was full of it. And what is used to eliminate this problem? Having said, the cats, hundreds of cats hunting for thousands of small rodents who lived in the city, in the buildings and also in the cathedral of Florence.
In some research something unique and original was discovered in the Florentine archives, a very particular anecdote. It is a somewhat bizarre detail in some respects but very normal for the period in which this writing was drawn up. In practice, the writing reveals the presence of cats inside the Florentine Cathedral.
… just in the evening these cavities were opened where the felines were released in search of the enemies par excellence: the mice. In fact, during the works for the grandiose construction of the dome, the cathedral was a real coming and going of rodents, and therefore the only effective remedy for this problem were our cat friends. We can still see the characteristic cavity placed on the left near the threshold at the entrance of the sacristies. Small curiosities but fascinating solutions of past times.
If you are interested in other curiosity about Florence, you can came with us to discover this beautiful city full of fantastic attraction and history. We are running our Florence free tour from Santa Maria Novella square, our tour start in front of Minerva hotel, please book in advance your spot for the tour.
