Taro Garden

Firenze, Tuscany · 12 mi / 19 km

Cat Café Firenze is a cat cafe on Via Giuseppe Verdi in Florence's historic centre, a short walk from Piazza Santa Croce. Opened in February 2024 by Mirella Giachinta, it was the first cat cafe in the city and is modelled on Japanese neko cafes. The cafe is home to a group of about six to eight resident cats, the original ones named after the Beatles, who move freely around the tables while a separate back area with their litter trays stays off limits to guests. Visitors enter through a double door, order from a QR-code menu and are expected to buy something to stay, with a small per-person cat charge added to the bill. The menu runs from breakfast and coffee through sandwiches, pancakes, smoothies, matcha and cocktails to aperitivo. Guests may stroke the cats when they approach but should not pick them up or wake them, and other pets are not allowed. The cafe is open every day.

• Walk-ins welcome

Parma, Emilia Romagna · 74 mi / 119 km

Fusa & Caffè is a cat cafe on Strada Massimo D'Azeglio in Parma's Oltretorrente district, just across the Ponte di Mezzo from the city centre. Opened in spring 2025, it was the first cat cafe in Emilia-Romagna. The ground floor is an ordinary cafe where dogs are also welcome. Upstairs, a lounge with sofas and reading corners is home to up to ten adult cats from Parma's municipal cattery and groups such as ENPA and OIPA. All of them can be adopted through the associations, with pre-fostering, a questionnaire and an interview. The cat floor requires a minimum order per person, and groups are asked to stay about 50 minutes, though students and remote workers can stay longer if they tell the staff. Breakfast, lunch and vegan aperitivo are served, and the cafe hosts cat yoga, educational talks and fundraising evenings for its partner associations.

• Adoptable cats

Fano, Marche · 96 mi / 155 km

Caffelino is a small cat cafe and cocktail bar on Corso Matteotti in the historic centre of Fano, opened in March 2026 as the first cat cafe in the Marche region. Owner Davide Barbaresi based the idea on a cat cafe he knew while living in Brighton. The cats came from the cat shelter in Colli al Metauro and can be adopted; the first three, Cappuccino, Piadina and Lasagna, were later joined by a kitten. They live in the cafe and wander among the tables. Mornings bring breakfast with house-made tarts and pastries, while afternoons and evenings move on to aperitivo with cured meat and cheese boards, vegan options, handmade pasta, piadine and mixology cocktails. Seating is limited, so booking a table online is recommended. House rules ask guests not to wake sleeping cats, pick them up or feed them, children must be accompanied, and other animals are not allowed.

• Adoptable cats

Longara, Veneto · 114 mi / 184 km

Neko Cafè is a volunteer-run cat cafe in Longara, on the Riviera Berica south-east of Vicenza, on Strada delle Grancare. It was founded in Turin in 2014 as one of Italy's first cat cafes and moved to Vicenza in December 2018. The cafe is run by a non-profit association and is home to seven resident cats that once lived in shelters or on the street. Some of them are older, so visitors are asked to handle them gently. To visit, you need the association's annual membership card, which must be requested online before the first visit and cannot be bought at the door. Guests can have a snack, an aperitivo or dinner among the cats. The colourful rooms have board games, cat paintings and merchandise for sale. Monthly dinners often feature book talks or cat-care experts. Opening days can change because the staff are volunteers.

• Booking recommended

Pavia, Lombardy · 131 mi / 211 km

Cats is the first cat café in Pavia, under the porticoes of Viale Bligny beside the Naviglio Pavese. It opened in July 2023 as a project of La Tana dei Sette Gatti, a local association that uses the café's proceeds to support feral cat colonies, shelters and sanctuaries. A small group of rescued European cats lives in the café, chosen for their sociable temperament; they move freely between the tables and have beds, scratching posts and toys, and can withdraw when they want. Visitors ring the doorbell to be let in. The menu covers coffee, homemade cakes, sandwiches, bruschetta and cocktails for breakfast, lunch and an evening aperitivo. There is a small outdoor area, and guests are asked to respect the cats' space.

Milano, Lombardy · 143 mi / 230 km

Maison Maine Coon is a cat café and restaurant on Via Spartaco in Milan, between Porta Romana and Porta Vittoria. About ten Maine Coon cats belonging to the owner live in the indoor rooms, which have walkways, scratching posts and quiet areas away from guests. A café counter and outdoor seating can be reached directly from the street for those who prefer not to sit with the cats. The kitchen serves breakfast, coffee and pastries all day, lunch and dinner from an Italian à la carte menu on weekdays, brunch in three sittings on Saturdays and Sundays, dinner on Saturdays and aperitivo on Sundays, with vegetarian and vegan options and homemade cakes and focaccia. Entry is free and online booking is recommended at busy times. On weekends only guests over 12 are admitted, and visitors are asked not to use flash or feed the cats.

• Booking recommended