One has often heard of Aoshima, an island in Japan where cats reign supreme, just as they do in Greece at the island of Samos. Lovers of cats and animals in general, however, do not necessarily have to travel to distant destinations to experience a feline dimension as there is a tiny hamlet in Piedmont called Brolo, whose history has earned it the nickname of Cat Country.

It is a hamlet of Nonio, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and it stands in a lovely geographical location, in the shadow of Mount Cregno and a stone's throw from beautiful Lake Orta.