The article helps the travelers to explore the old Jewish ghetto of Rome, where the Jewish and Roman cultures mix and shape an area rich in history, arts, and culinary traditions.
Visiting the Jewish Ghetto
Where is the Ghetto?
Jewish ghetto is a very lively area today. It is a place full of trendy bars and restaurants that seems to have left its tragic history behind. Today, you can admire the synagogue and stroll among typical restaurants, trendy shops and antique dealers.
The ghetto corresponds to the Sant’Angelo district and borders the Tiber river to the south, the Regola district to the west and the Pigna district to the north. The ghetto is therefore hinged on the historic center of Rome.
When travelers visit Piazza Venezia, they can reach the Jewish Ghetto in about 500 meters. Continuing towards the Tiber along Via Teatro di Marcello, the traveler sees an ancient theater reminiscent of the Colosseum. If travelers enter the small archaeological area that includes the theater and three tall columns, they reach the heart of the Jewish ghetto.
Otherwise, anyone walking along the Lungotevere de’ Cenci comes across the ghetto when they see the Tiber Island, the only river island presents in Rome.
The Synagogue
The visit to the Jewish ghetto begins in via del Portico d’Ottavia. The street begins in an open space where you can see the ancient Ponte Fabricio on the side of the Tiber river and the imposing synagogue on the opposite side.
The Jewish community decided to demolish a dilapidated part of the area to build the synagogue, after the abolition of the ghetto at the end of the 19th century. The construction of the major temple of Rome represented the newfound emancipation and redemption of the Roman Jewish community.
The best Roman architects finished the construction of the synagogue in 1904. The style is eclectic because it is intended to recall the structures of ancient Palestine, which blended Greek, Assyrian and Egyptian elements. Furthermore, the architects harmonized these styles with the Roman context, taking up the Renaissance cues of the area.
The cloister vault is the most important architectural element of the synagogue. The dome stands out over the panorama of Rome with its square base and its curved lines that converge towards the center of the square.
Museo Ebraico di Roma
The synagogue also houses the museum which illustrates several thousand years old finds of the Roman Jewish community in 7 rooms. Travelers can visit the museum independently and the synagogue on a short guided tour. The cost of the ticket is 11 euros and can be booked here.
The museum presents a vast collection of fabrics and silver objects used for religious ceremonies. The richest families donated these objects to their synagogues.
The Spanish temple looks like a museum room that can be visited with a short guided tour. This temple is the small synagogue that follows Spanish rites. In 1492, after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, many Jews went to Rome, where they continued to use their rites.
The visit is very interesting for those who want to understand Jewish culture. In fact, the museum explains the genesis of objects from which a thousand-year-old culture emerges, where printed books and written language acquire a mystical meaning. For example, the Jewish wedding is a contract written on a decorated parchment and kept by the bride’s mother. Furthermore, those who visit the Spanish temple, with the kippah on their head or the shawl on their shoulders, discover that any building can be a synagogue if it keeps the scrolls of the sacred book, the Torah, in a cupboard.
How to visit Museo Ebraico
Opening Hours Of Museo Ebraico
The museum closes on Saturdays and has reduced hours on Fridays. From Sunday to Thursday the museum opens at 10 am, while on Friday it opens at 9 am. In summer (April 1 – September 30), the museum closes at 6 pm from Sunday to Thursday and closes at 4 pm on Friday. During winter time, it closes at 2 pm on Fridays. Furthermore, from Sunday to Thursday, the museum closes at the following times: at 5 pm in the shoulder season (1st – 29th October and 21st January – 31st March); at 4.30 pm from 30 October to 10 November and from 1 to 20 January; to 4 pm from November 11th to December 31st.
Before visiting the museum, remember to check that you have not planned your visit on Jewish holidays, when the museum is closed or observes different opening hours, by checking this link.
The Trouble We Had Going In
We visited the museum during the European day where events promoting Jewish culture were held. I was afraid of long queues, so I left my wife in front of the museum while I looked for parking. When I arrived, I tried to reach my wife, but a young man with a frowning face stood in front of me. He told me that there were two queues, one to visit the museum and the other to attend a conference.
At that moment, they were letting people who visited the museum to pass first and I was the last person on the queue of the museum. Probably someone told him that soon they would let people attending the conference to pass so he started to stop people entering. Then, he decided to stop me. However, the issue was that I was the last person on the queue of the museum and there was no one behind me anymore. Furthermore, my wife was just in front of me. We would be completely separated for the entire visit of the museum. I then asked the boy if I could at least reach my wife. Luckily, he let me pass. So finally, I joined my wife.
In ancient times, the area of the Jewish ghetto belonged to the southern part of the Campus Martius, the area consecrated to the God of war, Mars, since the founding of Rome. The Campus Martius was a vital part of the ancient city, which is why the ghetto contains some important archaeological areas.
Porticus Octaviae
Piazza 16 October is the historical heart of the ghetto. Whoever reaches the square from the Tiber sees the Portico d’Ottavia in front and on the right the Theater of Marcellus.
The Portico of Octavia belonged to the enclosure that surrounded two important temples of ancient Rome, the temple of Juno Regina and that of the Jupiter Stator. The two temples were dedicated to the two main gods of Roman mythology, Jupiter, father of the gods, and his wife Juno. Nothing remains of the temples, while it is possible to observe the monumental entrance propylaeum of the Portico of Octavia, in the version renovated by the emperor Septimius Severus in the year 203. Until the unification of Italy, the fish market of Rome was held in the Portico of Octavia.
Theater of Marcellus
Some stairs lead the travelers from the Portico to the path below, from which the heart of the archaeological area is reached. The area overlooks the Theater of Marcellus, a fascinating building, which an inattentive observer could mistake for the Colosseum due to its rounded shape and travertine arches. But those who look closely can notice windows and other more recent elements above the ancient arches.
Marcello’s theater has lived many lives. In ancient times Julius Caesar decided to build a theater for political and electoral purposes. The next emperor Augustus inaugurated the opera in 17 BC, organizing massive games, which could be attended by between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators. Augustus dedicated the theater to his favorite nephew, Marcellus.
In the Middle Ages, the theater was transformed into a fortress, until the noble Savelli family decided to use it as a residence. The family renovated the theater and created a palace. If the traveler continues to observe the theater, reaching the opposite side of the ghetto, he will discover how the original circular structure suddenly ends, to be replaced by the medieval palace.
In front of the theatre, you can observe the ruins of two ancient temples, the temple of Apollo Sosiano and the temple of Bellona. In particular, you can admire three columns of the temple of Apollo. The temple is called Sosiano because the consul Gaius Sosius financed the renovation works. Gaius Sosius had had political conflicts with the emperor Augustus, and he settled them thanks to this financing.
Food
If the traveler walks along via Portico d’Ottavia, he will enter the heart of the ghetto. The street is full of typical restaurants where Jewish cuisine, strictly kosher, is combined with Roman cuisine.
The most iconic dish of the Jewish-Roman tradition is the carciofo alla giudia (jewish style artichoke). Artichokes are so tender that, once fried, they can be eaten completely. They envelop the traveler with their golden color and the sour taste of crunchy leaves. Other typical dishes are anchovy and endive pie, concia di zucchini (flavoured fried courgettes), cod (fried or baked) and beef stew.
Fish broth is a traditionally poor dish, today much sought after and with a particular history. In fact, the ancient fish market was held here and a strange plaque is still present on the Portico d’Ottavia. The plaque shows an old ordinance which provided that the most delicious parts of the longest fish had to be delivered to the city’s administrative bureaucrats. Therefore, the citizens of the ghetto had to be satisfied with the less tasty parts, with which they prepared the broth.
You can see the list of kosher restaurants at this link. If you want something sweet, you can go to the Boccione bakery, famous for not having a sign indicating its name. Fortunately, you can’t get confused, because the bakery displays its delicious ricotta and sour cherry tarts in the window.
The Turtle Fountain
From via del Portico d’Ottavia, the traveler can enter the narrow via della Reginella. Through this street, in a few meters you will arrive in Piazza Mattei, so called because all the buildings belonged to the noble Roman family. Owners of land in Cerveteri, Montalto and in the Viterbo area, the Mattei family had a coat of arms made of silver and blue, crossed by a gold band.
In the center of the square, there is the turtle fountain, designed by Giacomo della Porta and sculpted by Taddeo Landini. The authorities built the fountain at the end of the 16th century, following the restoration of the Acqua Virgo aqueduct. The work represented four youths in bronze, who stand on four African marble shells. Later, turtles were added.
The Mattei family made numerous pressures to place the fountain in the center of their square. In exchange for that location, the nobles undertook to maintain the fountain and pave the street.
According to legend, one of the Mattei dukes, betrothed, lost a large amount of money gambling. Having learned of the fact, the future father-in-law denied his daughter’s hand. To impress him, Duke Mattei invited him to a reception that lasted until the following morning.
During that night, the workers of the Mattei family built the fountain. The event impressed her father-in-law so much that he again offered his daughter’s hand. Subsequently, the duke had the window where his father-in-law looked out walled-up, so that no one else could admire the fountain from that point.
Tiber Island
The Bridges
In front of the synagogue, the traveler can admire the Tiber Island, one of the most beautiful and fascinating places in Rome. The river island is approximately 270 m long and 70 m wide. According to legend, the island arose during the revolt that ousted the last of the seven kings of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, in 510 BC. The rebels threw so many stalks of wheat into the Tiber that they created the island.
Travelers access the island via two bridges. On the synagogue side, the Fabricio bridge represents the oldest of the Roman bridges still in use. The pedestrian bridge connects the Lungotevere De’ Cenci to the Tiber Island with two arches. The citizens also called the bridge “Four Heads” because of the two statues that adorn it, both of which represent four heads.
Legend has it that the name “Four Heads” derives from a grotesque argument between four architects commissioned by the Pope to renovate the bridge in the 16th century. The architects argued so much for trivial reasons that the Pope decided to behead them and then erect the sculptures representing their four severed heads.
On the opposite side of the ghetto, the three arches of the Cestio Bridge connect the Tiber island to the Trastevere district, near the Basilica of Santa Cecilia.
The Island
In ancient times, Roman citizens venerated the god of medicine on the Tiber island. Here was the temple dedicated to the god Aesculapius. Today, where the temple stood, there is the Fatebenefratelli hospital, managed by the friars belonging to the hospital order of San Giovanni di Dio.
Half of the island is occupied by the hospital and the other by the Basilica of San Bartolomeo all’Isola. Emperor Otto III had the Basilica built in the year 1000 to contain the relics of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, at that time kept in the city of Benevento. The emperor asked the city of Benevento for the relics. The citizens delivered the relics in a basin and the emperor placed them under the altar of the church.
But the story is more complex. It is said that the citizens of Benevento provided the emperor not with the relics of the saint but with the remains of the bishop of Nola. This trick would have induced Otto III to besiege the city of Benevento, before giving up. The Catholic Church believes that the true relics of St. Bartholomew are still in Benevento.
The most famous restaurant in Rome, “Sora Lella” is also located on the Tiber Island. The restaurant is still an example of good Roman cuisine thirty years after the death of its founder, Elena Fabrizi. Elena was a famous cook, television personality and actress in many comedies. She was also the sister of Aldo Fabrizi, one of the most important Italian actors of the twentieth century.
Here you can taste many traditional dishes, such as meatballs, gnocchi, beef rolls, tail, tripe.
History of the Ghetto
How the Ghetto was established
While you are visiting the ghetto, you can observe the shiny brass cobblestones placed in front of the houses. These are stumbling blocks that bring out the indelible memory of the Holocaust. The brass cobblestones remember the names, dates of birth, deportation and death of the deportees to German concentration camps.
The ghetto was established in 1555 by Pope Paul IV, by issuing the papal bull “Cum nimis absurdum”, with which he revoked all the rights of the Roman Jewish community.
The papal bull ordered the Roman Jews to carry a sign of recognition, preventing them from exercising any type of trade and from owning real estate. From that moment, Jews could only reside in the ghetto, whose doors opened at dawn and closed at sunset.
The Blood Murdel Libel
Pope Paul IV, Gian Pietro Carafa, started a period of obscurantism which culminated in the strengthening of the holy inquisition and the persecution against the Jews. The persecutions were motivated by the spread of anti-Semitism, based largely on an ancient fake news that is called the blood murder libel.
According to this fake news, Jews used human blood preferably from tender children to perform rituals. This rumor spread after 1475, when a three-year-old boy named Simone disappeared in Trento. He was later found dead in a ditch near the small Jewish community of Trento.
The Catholic authorities arrested the fifteen Jews residing in Trento and tortured them. Even though they didn’t do anything wrong, the Jews confessed that they used the blood of Simon’s baby to knead Matzah (unleavened bread) and perform a ritual during the Pesach (Passover).
The Raid of Roman Ghetto
The community was forced to live in seclusion until Rome became part of the Italian state and the ghetto was abolished. But the greatest catastrophe occurred during Nazi-occupied Rome. In 1943, the commander of the Gestapo in Rome Herbert Kappler first blackmailed the Jewish community by asking them to deliver 50 kg of gold in 36 hours to avoid deportation. The Jewish community supplied gold to the Gestapo commander who sent the loot to Berlin.
Kappler advised the SS not to proceed with deportation but to use Jewish labor for compulsory labor. Anyway, Berlin ordered the raid. At dawn on Shabbat on October 16, 1943, the Gestapo violently gathered men, women and children. Among them, 1,007 detainees reached the Auschwitz extermination camp on the night of 22 October. Only 15 men and one woman returned home.
The woman was Settimia Spizzichino who often recounted her experience to educate young people so that barbarism would not repeat itself. The city of Rome dedicated the modern railway overpass in the Garbatella district to her.
Great Synagogue of Rome Attack
As if that were not enough, five Palestinian terrorists perpetrated an attack in the main synagogue in 1982. On Saturday 9 October, the feast of Bar Mitzvah was celebrated, a ritual that indicates the attainment of maturity for Jewish adolescents. The terrorists fired on the crowd gathered inside the synagogue with machine guns and hand grenades. A two-year-old boy died during the attack.
The terrible attack on the synagogue remains today the main episode of anti-Semitism in Italy after the war, which reminds us to keep our attention against all discrimination.
Written by Enrico, Translated by Hua and Photos from Hua
