A symbol of witchcraft, much of the patina has been rubbed off the body of this majestically proportioned feline by Botero due to its rounded shape. It casts its shadow over a part of Barcelona that is very interesting to explore, with different ĂĄreas including what is still known asâChinatownâ.
Barcelonaâs âChinatownâ has lost the vast majority of the shady associations that characterised it in the past. This area is the closest part of the Raval district to the sea. There are many interesting tourist attractions to be found here in the shadow of Boteroâs Black Cat, located on the Rambla de Raval. Thisnewly created space consists of a wide avenue flanked by palm trees and terraces.
. Also interesting to visit is GuÌell Palace (Nou de la Rambla, 3-5), which was one of Gaudiâs first commissions. Another place to visit is the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, one of the cityâs best conserved Romanesque buildings.
The legend of the seven lives
Boteroâs cat has actually nearly used up all of his lives.Perhaps one of the worldâs fattest cats, he has âfallen on his feetâ so many times and in so many different places. In Barcelona, where he first appeared in 1987, he has already been moved four times. He was moved from Ciutadella Park to the Olympic Stadium for the 1992 Olympic Games.Then, he was moved to a spot behind Barcelonaâs shipyards before ending up on the Rambla del Raval, where he now spends his days purring contentedly in the sunshine.
