The Jewish Ghetto

Located in the Sant’Angelo district, not far from the Colosseum, Rome’s Jewish Ghetto is one of the oldest in the Western world and is one of the city’s most striking hidden treasures. It may not be among the classic tourist destinations in the Eternal City, but it is still capable of delivering incredible thrills. It was established in 1555, a few years after the one in Venice, by papal bull by Paul IV Carafa who revoked all rights granted to Roman Jews forcing them to live in a circumscribed area.

The symbolic site of the ghetto is the Synagogue, also called the Great Temple, one of the largest in Europe. An important cultural landmark for the Jewish community, it was built between 1899 and 1904 by architects Osvaldo Armanni and Vincenzo Costa in a style reminiscent of Babylonian architecture and blended with Art Nouveau. The basement of the Synagogue is home to the fascinating Jewish Museum, which through 7 exhibition halls illustrates Jewish-Romanesque history among valuable works of art and documents.

One of the most interesting monuments is the ancient Portico of Octavia, dating from the 2nd century B.C., the only one left of the great porticoes that surrounded the Circus Flaminius square. Also not to be missed: Via della Reginella, one of the neighborhood’s most characteristic alleys; and the Fountain of the Turtles in the small Piazza Mattei, one of the most beautiful in Rome, built between 1581 and 1584 by Florentine sculptor Taddeo Landini to a design by Giacomo Della Porta.

For those who want to eat something between Judeo-Romanesque restaurants and Kosher bakeries, you are spoiled for choice. Definitely try the fish soup, cod fillets and the famous carciofi alla giudia, a typical Jewish dish that has become a symbol of Roman cuisine.