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 áreas including what is still known as“Chinatown”.
Barcelona’s “Chinatown” 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 Botero’s 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 Güell Palace (Nou de la Rambla, 3-5), which was one of Gaudi’s first commissions. Another place to visit is the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, one of the city’s best conserved Romanesque buildings.
The legend of the seven lives
Botero’s cat has actually nearly used up all of his lives.Perhaps one of the world’s fattest cats, he has “fallen on his feet” 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 Barcelona’s shipyards before ending up on the Rambla del Raval, where he now spends his days purring contentedly in the sunshine.
