The first animal to be buried in an elaborate grave at Casa Rosa, the oldest pet cemetery in Italy, was a beloved chicken belonging to the sons of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
Word of its existence soon spread among the Italian elite, and before long the cemetery was hosting the remains of cats and dogs owned by the country’s former royals and a variety of other VIP pets, including hamsters, rabbits, pigeons and lions belonging to politicians, magistrates and film directors.
