The Jewish community in Italy is one of the oldest in Europe (alongside the Jewish community going back to ancient Greece). As early as the 2nd century BC, Jews arrived in Rome as merchants, settled there and formed a small community. After the Second Temple was destroyed in the year 70 CE, Jewish captives arrived there carrying the Temple treasures when Titus conquered Jerusalem.
Throughout the centuries, Jews from all over Europe immigrated to Italy, due to pandemics or pogroms in their countries or because in Italy Jews could live in relative welfare, while creating cultural, economic and other ties.
These days, the Jewish community in Italy is mainly centered around the big cities, such as Rome and Milan, Florence and Bologna, Venice, Verona, Turin, Genoa, Ferrara, and other cities.
Come and join an experience in which we will open a window into the various aspects of the Italian Jewish communities, as well as the rise of the Roman Empire, Christianity, the development of the arts in Italy and their influence on the Jews living there.
Checking into the hotel, fresh up, orientation with your scholar , meet your friends . An evening tour.
A welcome dinner and an orientation meeting with the guide.
Overnight: Milan
After breakfast, we will go on a tour of Milan. Its rulers have adorned it over many generations with palaces and artworks by the greatest artists, as well as the opera house, Teatro Alla Scala, considered an unrivalled temple of music. We will of course visit the Milan Duomo, a one of a kind architectural creation, the only Gothic church in the world built entirely out of marble. We will continue to the Teatro alla Scala Museum and take a stroll along the designers’ street. We will make a quick stop at the ancient cemetery Cimitero Monumentale Di Milano, abundant with sculptures and marble works that cannot be found anywhere else. Time permitting we will take a walk around the city.
In the evening we’ll return to our hotel.
Overnight: Milan
After checking out of the hotel, we will drive to Cremona in Italy’s Lombardy region, a city held in great respect by every string player in the world, mainly thanks to three well-known families: Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari. We will see the famous Violin Museum, visit the city center briefly and will not overlook the city’s architectural gems and Terrazzo Tower.
We will then drive to another beautiful city, Mantova, which was one of the prominent principalities in Italy’s cultural landscape. Painters Andrea Mantegna and Giulio Romano worked in this city.
Claudio Monteverdi was the court musician, as was the Jewish musician Salamone Rossi, who alongside his work for the Duke, also wrote liturgical Jewish music.
We will visit Palazzo Ducale, which was the principality’s spiritual center, and we will see the amazing Te Palace.
This visit will not be complete without some romance. On our way to Venice, we will make a stop in Verona, a city with a name that lights up our imagination: The story of Romeo and Juliet, the ultimate lovers, was written, composed, performed and danced and otherwise performed countless times.
We will start our visit at the Arena Di Verona, the Roman amphitheater that remained intact and is used for performances every summer. We will continue from there to Juliet’s House (Casa Di Julietta) and the famous balcony where she awaited her lover. We will see some of the beautiful squares designed by the city's Dukes in the Middle Ages. We will also see the Scaliger Monument built by the Scaliger Dukes to perpetuate their name.
After 90 minutes' drive we’ll arrive at the hotel in Venice late at night.
Overnight: Venice
We will start the day with a walk along the canals towards the port and take a boat to Murano Island, famous for its glass workshops. From there we will continue to Burano Island, known for its colorful streets.
We’ll begin the second half of the day in San Marco Square, where we’ll start the romantic part of our tour, see the San Marco Basilica and the Bridge of Sighs. We will then see the Doge’s Palace, which was the palace of the Duke of Venice, used partly as city offices and partly as the Duke’s private residence. You will have free time in the evening, or you might want to join a dinner together.
Overnight: Venice
We will start the day with a short introduction to 2000 years of Jewish life in Italy in general, and in Venice in particular. Then we will visit the Jewish Ghetto, the first ghetto in the world. We will take a tour of the three synagogues and of the Jewish Heritage Museum in the New Ghetto (Ghetto Nuovo).
In the second part of the day you will have free time to explore and enjoy Venice and its canals.
We will end our visit in Venice with a romantic gondola boat ride in the evening.
Overnight: Venice
In the morning, we will head to Florence. On the way we will make a quick stop in Padua, a city where Galileo Galilei taught at the university for 18 years from 1592. We’ll see the old town center, and continue on our way to Ferrara, which was an important immigration center for Jews from Portugal, Spain and central Europe. The Jewish community flourished in this city and at its peak had 10 active synagogues.
We mentioned Galileo Galilei and the University of Padua in the previous city; students at the University of Ferrara included Copernicus, Paracelsus the Swiss alchemist and, Amatus Lusitanus one of the greatest Jewish physicians of the 16th century.
On our way to Florence, we will make a stop at one of the famous Toscan wineries for wine and olive oil tasting, the pride of Toscany.
We will arrive in Florence in the evening.
Overnight: Florence
We will start the day with a visit to the Jewish ghetto established in 1571, after the Rome and Venice ghettos. We will visit the impressive synagogue built in 1882.
From there we will continue to a visit The Uffizi Galleries, admire Michelangelo’s sculpture of David and then see the famous Duomo square, with its Gate of Paradise, which started the Renaissance era in Italy.
We will not overlook the open air museum Piazza della Signoria and we will end the day at the old bridge, Ponte Vecchio.
Overnight: Florence
In the morning, after checking out of the hotel in Florence, we will stop on our way to Rome at the medieval town of San Gimignano, which boasts 14 towers. It is a wonderfully preserved town and walking along its alleyways will give us a glimpse into its 700 years history.
We will continue on our way to Siena, considered to be Florence’s competitor. We will arrive at Piazza del Campo, the city square, divided into 9 parts facing the city palace, commemorating the 9 community members who used to run the city.
Beyond the palace there is a small, beautiful building, Logge del Papa, and next to it is the San Martino Church. To the right of the church, an alley called Vicolo delle Scotte leads to the area that used to be the Jewish ghetto in the 16-18th centuries, and has a synagogue built in 1756 which is active to this day.
Our way from Florence to Rome goes through the famous Chianti Wine Road. We will stop at one or two wineries for local wine and olive oil tasting, and maybe buy a bottle or two for the rest of our journey…
We will reach Rome in the evening.
Overnight: Rome
They survived the massacre in Jerusalem, the long road to Rome and the horror shows in the Colosseum. Later they were humiliated and locked down in the ghetto in harsh conditions, but the Jewish community only grew stronger.
In the Italian capital today live direct descendants of those families from Jerusalem, who are still observing unique customs to this day.
The first part of our visit will be dedicated to the Jewish people of Rome. We will visit the ghetto area, established in 1555, about 4 decades after the first ghetto was founded in Venice .
We will visit the magnificent synagogue and the Jewish museum next to it, walk along the ghetto alleyways, see the Jewish market area, the turtle fountain and more.
Inside the ghetto there is a church, Sant'Angelo in Pescheria, to which Jews were forcibly brought to listen to sermons against the Jewish faith. To this day the church still displays a text against Jewish people and Judaism.
We will continue from there to the Colosseum. The slaves from Judea survived its horrors. We will see the famous Arch of Titus. For generations, Jews avoided passing under this gate, as a sign of mourning of the destruction of the Temple.
We will spend the final part of the day taking a leisurely walk, visiting the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and more…
Overnight: Rome
We will start the last day of our trip by visiting the Vatican City, a small country inside a big city. It is the holiest place in the Christian world.
We will see St. Peter's Square, where tens of thousands of believers gather to see the pope and hear his weekly sermon. We will visit the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.
In the second part of the day, you will have a few hours to wander around Rome, a city so diverse and full of gems, shops and more.
We will meet in the evening for dinner at a typical Rome restaurant.
Overnight: Rome
We’ll check out of the hotel and leave for the airport independently.
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