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Nolly and Zarrie are fixtures in Amsterdam’s centre

Nolly Vittali has washed windows in central Amsterdam for 40 years, with his bobtail Zarrie beside him. Hundreds of passers-by stop to pet the dog, while tourists photograph or film him.

By · Published October 21, 2026 at 10:54 p.m. CEST · 1 min read

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Amsterdam-born Nolly Vittali has washed windows on buildings in the city centre for 40 years, but passers-by tend to notice his dog Zarrie first.

Zarrie, a bobtail, goes everywhere with Nolly and has become a familiar sight in the centre.

According to Nolly, hundreds of people pet and cuddle the dog every day, and tourists often stop to photograph or film him.

Plenty of Amsterdammers know him by now too.

A family history of window cleaning

The pair are together around the clock, and Nolly says the dog knows no other life.

Nolly comes from the Vittali family of chimney sweeps, whose Amsterdam story began when his grandfather arrived from Italy in the 1930s to sweep the city’s chimneys.

His father switched to window cleaning in 1953 and became Dutch window-cleaning champion in 1969, and Nolly’s own son now works in the family business.

After his previous dog died, Nolly spent a year without a pet and did not enjoy it at all, and he says Zarrie makes life far more enjoyable and sociable.

If you would like a four-legged companion of your own, see where to adopt a pet in Amsterdam.

Source: AT5