Nestled in the Valli dello Judrio, in the municipality of Prepotto, lies the hamlet of Ciubiz, a place where the boundary between reality and fairy tale begins to blur. Officially, the village has only five human inhabitants, but on the day of our visit, it felt as though it belonged entirely to its feline custodians; we encountered not a single soul, save for the historic colony that calls these stones home.
This total absence of human presence made the experience profoundly surreal, evoking the atmosphere of the film Flow: a world beyond the human, where nature and its silent inhabitants have reclaimed every space and object. Entering Ciubiz felt like stepping into a suspended moment in time: a pure, wordless dialogue between us and the cats, set in an atmosphere where humanity felt like nothing more than a distant echo.
From our first few steps, we were met with the cats’ attentive, quiet curiosity. A welcome we endeavoured to return with the utmost respect, treading lightly through a territory that, for that afternoon, belonged entirely to them. The first to greet us was the one we immediately dubbed “our guide”: a charismatic and talkative cat, the only one to break the silence with his meows, who led us with purpose through the old houses.
He escorted us through the alleyways like a proud host, showing us their most secret haunts, including an old rabbit hutch that has been transformed into the village’s official dormitory.
As he narrated the story of the place in his own way, a sweet, elegant little black cat decided to bridge the distance. She approached with confidence, seeking the warmth of a gentle stroke and becoming our most intimate connection to the village’s soul.
All around us, the rest of the colony watched with quiet discretion: silent figures perched high up on stone walls or tucked among the bushes, acting as watchful sentinels over such an unusual and magical encounter.
In those moments in Ciubiz, we realised that we were not merely visitors; rather, it was they who allowed us, for one brief, fleeting moment, to become part of their secret, enchanted world.
All photographs by Gabriele Gelsi.