About
This unofficial family crest that hangs above a door is claimed to come to life at night in an effort to escape the stone.
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. Some say that the head comes alive during the night, trying to escape from its stone jail and it sometimes meows to try to draw attention to its condition. The facial expression on the head—something between an expression of annoyance and a crazed look—could be the origin of the legend.
