THE GHETTO
Book Your Ghetto of Rome Tour
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The exact time slot (morning or afternoon) and the precise starting time will be communicated 10 days before the tour date.
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Semi-private tour; private tour available upon request
Jews have lived in Rome for over two thousand years, even predating the reign of Julius Caesar. This ancient and continuous presence has made the Roman Jewish community the oldest in the western world.
And wherever you walk in the Eternal City, you can still feel the enormous cultural influence this community exerts.
It is impossible to talk about Rome without talking about Roman-Jewish culture. Jewish and Roman history are inexorably intertwined. On this two-hour Jewish Ghetto & Rome Synagogue tour you will discover just how and why this is.
Your Jewish Ghetto & Roman Synagogue tour starts in the Jewish Museum
Housed within Rome’s Great Synagogue is the remarkable Jewish Museum: a repository of artefacts that narrate the story of Rome’s Jewish population. Its eclectic collection of marbles, fabrics, treasures, and ritual objects bring to life the customs and traditions of this proud, historic community.
I will fully acquaint you with these treasures on your Jewish Ghetto & Roman Synagogue tour, leaving you feeling nourished with the knowledge of this seldom explored attraction.
We then step inside the Tempio Maggiore or ‘Great Synagogue’
To deepen your understanding of the events that have unfolded in the Ghetto and in the life of its Jewish community, our Jewish Ghetto & Rome Synagogue tour will visit the Tempio Maggiore or Great Synagogue.
Completed in 1905, after the unification of Italy, the Great Synagogue lies at the very heart of Roman-Jewish life. The synagogue has a special resonance for me and for all members of this close-knit community.
As we explore both the Italian and Sephardic synagogues, I’ll draw on my deep reserves of knowledge – always providing a platform for you to ask any questions you have.
The final stop on your Roman Synagogue tour is the Jewish Ghetto
Walking through the streets of Europe’s oldest ghetto, history will come to life before your eyes, thanks to the stories and little-known facts collected by someone who has made the Roman Jewish experience his life’s work.
Our ancestors first came into contact with Rome in 161 BC, when Judas Maccabeus ratified a treaty with the Roman Republic. Jewish presence in Rome was documented shortly afterwards, and over the subsequent two millennia we became integral members of the community,
As we tour the Jewish Ghetto, the epicenter of Jewish life in Rome, I’ll introduce you to all its many wonders. We’ll visit the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Fountain of the Turtles), the Portico of Octavia, the emperor Augustus’ sister, and the magnificent Theater of Marcellus: Octavia’s unfortunate son.
As we explore the Jewish Ghetto, we’ll journey through over two-thousand years of history. Stories of suffering and persecution resonate within the Ghetto’s walls. But this historic neighborhood also tells a story of salvation – the resilience of the Jewish community despite the efforts of the Catholic Church.
Want to know more? Check out what people have said about my tours on TripAdvisor.
Should you want to combine the cultural with the culinary, why not follow this Roman Synagogue tour with one of my Kosher Cooking Classes!
Click here for the meeting point >> Via Catalana outside the entrance to the Jewish Museum
Look for the sign saying “Roman Jews”
Ghetto Tour Reviews
