Roman Jews have been living in this neighborhood and in Trastevere for 22 centuries, giving birth to the only Jewish community alive and present continuously in the same place since before the Diaspora.
The Ghetto &
Jewish Museum
This tour will be the highlight of your trip! Time will fly while you will be taken to an unforgettable journey of art, history, culture, traditions, and of course … “food in the Jewish quarter”!
Roman Jews are neither Sephardic nor Ashkenazi since we have been here since before the destruction of the II Temple of Jerusalem.
In the last 20 years the Ghetto went through a gentrification process, which turned it into one of the most appealing areas of Rome, for Romans and tourists, and Jews and non-Jews.
Most of the Jewish life of Rome takes place in the Piazza, which is the informal way Roman Jews call their quarter, the former Jewish ghetto, a small pedestrian area where we have a Jewish day school, the kosher butcher, the kosher restaurants, and the Judaica stores.
And above all…
It’s where our nonni, the elders, gather to enjoy their free time. Some still live in the area, some moved out years ago and still come back, to sit on the benches or on their folding chairs to spend the day, watching people go by. I will take you to meet them and hear their family stories, stories of war and resilience, but also stories that you will be able to relate to, and feel at home.
With Jewish Roma you will also visit the Jewish Museum and its amazing collection. The Tempio Maggiore, built in 1904 with its fancy square dome, stands up as the symbol of the Emancipation of the Jews of Rome, finally freed from the ghetto after 330 years of strict rules established by the Popes, with the only intent to convert them into Christianity “and save their souls.”
Jewish Roma guides are exclusively authorized to take you privately inside the Museum and the Synagogues.
We’ll also stop at the Kosher Bakery, Boccione, where the same family has been running the business for the last 300 years. We will taste the famous Pizza Giudia, the Ginetto, the Cheese Cake with chocolate or with cherries. I will teach you how to speak our version of Yiddish, the giudaico-romanesco and you will learn how the Roman Jewish traditions are different from any other community.
Places
- Tour of the Jewish Museum
- Tour of the Spanish synagogue
- Tour of the Great synagogue
- Tour of the Ghetto area
Meeting point: Lungotevere de’ Cenci, 00186 Roma
Duration of the tour: 3 hours
Participants: min.1; max. 15
Travel tips:
- Check the forecast – there is outdoor walking so bring umbrella in case of rain.
- Ensure your clothing is conservative enough for the Synagogue and for the Vatican. Cover your shoulders and knees. You can use a shawl.
- You can bring your own Kippah but Micaela provides them too.
- Bring water, a hat for the heat and comfortable shoes.
- Disabled friendly