One of the first things you will notice when you stroll around the square and Rocca in Capena is the small but distinct population of cute dogs. They are as much a part of the character of the village as the local human residents – and just as individual. Some obviously have human hangers-on but others trot purposefully round the old part of the village on their own, clearly with their own agendas.

The Capenesi are generally very sympathetic towards dogs, without being over-sentimental, which is a great attitude in my opinion.

Many of the dogs in Capena are rescue dogs who were abandoned on the motorway about 5 km away and found wandering the roads around Capena, sometimes in a terrible state of injury or neglect.

Among her many other acts of benevolence, Rosina Wachtmeister runs a dog pound for abandoned dogs and the Comune di Capena website even has a section on dog adoption.