Cattaro is a medieval town which used to be in Yugoslavia, now Montenegro. Lear reached Cattaro by steamer from Periato, walking for miles along mountain roads the artist described as “wildly zigzagging”. In his diary, Lear described Cattato as 'a mere speck compared to the elegant ascent of the towering heights above' and 'a diminutive city nestled between stupendous precipices.' There are three similar sketches by Lear in the Houghton Library at Harvard University in the United States.