The Jewish Ghetto of Venice is one of the most authentic and surprising districts in the city. Located in the Cannaregio district, it is an area rich in culture, synagogues, small shops and unique corners. Here you can discover what to see, what to do and how to visit it at its best.
What to see – Campo del Ghetto Nuovo
As in the rest of Venice, in the Jewish Ghetto the “main square” is not called a square, but a campo. Its name is Campo del Ghetto Nuovo and it is the true heart of the neighborhood.
It is a wide and surprisingly quiet space compared to the rest of Venice. The feeling is that of being in a completely different setting, without the crowds of St. Mark’s Square, but with a more intimate and authentic atmosphere made of children playing, residents sitting on benches and a few curious travelers looking up at buildings so different from the rest of the city.
In this campo you will see some of the tallest buildings in Venice. During the period of segregation it was not possible to expand horizontally, so houses were built upward: some reach 7–8 floors, a rarity for the city. Around the campo you will find small cafés, bookstores and shops connected to Jewish culture. It’s a perfect place to stop for a few quiet minutes.
The Shoah Memorial
On one of the campo’s walls you can find a moving bronze monument dedicated to the victims of the deportations of the 1940s. It is one of the most emotional points of the visit.
The synagogues of the Venice Ghetto
They are located on the upper floors of pre-existing buildings and are difficult to recognize from the outside. They are the soul of the Venetian ghetto and inside they hide small masterpieces, a true pride of the Jewish community. Today you can admire 5 synagogues: the German Synagogue, the Italian Synagogue, the Canton Synagogue, the Levantine Synagogue and the Spanish (or Ponentine) Synagogue.
In the past there were “5 schools”, meaning synagogues, each linked to a different Jewish community present in the city. The first to be built was the German Synagogue, the oldest in the Venetian Ghetto, which still amazes visitors today with its friezes and extraordinary golden decorations.
CURIOSITY – The legend of the door to elsewhere
One of the most curious legends of the Venice Ghetto concerns the Italian Synagogue, probably the least known and most discreet. The story tells of an Ashkenazi (German-origin) Jewish family and a Sephardic (Spanish-origin) one who did not want their children to marry. The rabbi advised the two lovers to walk through a specific door of the Italian Synagogue. From that day on, no one ever saw them again.
The Red Bank and the pawn banks
Because of a constant sense of uncertainty and the feeling of always having to be ready to leave, the Jews of Venice rarely invested in property and preferred to keep their earnings in cash. For this reason they could open money-lending businesses such as the Red Bank, recently restored and now open to the public.
There used to be three doors here, each corresponding to a different type of loan. Counters and shelves were filled with small valuable objects left as collateral by those in need of money.
Wealthy families were not many; most people earned a living doing all kinds of jobs. The Venetian ghetto was like a large open-air market, what we would call today an outlet. Venetians and foreigners came to the Jewish quarter of Venice not only to borrow money but also to find products that were hard to get elsewhere: food, fabrics, second-hand textiles, rare spices and tools. outlet. I veneziani e i forestieri si recavano nel quartiere ebraico di Venezia non solo per avere soldi in prestito, ma anche per cercare dei prodotti che altrove difficilmente si trovavano: beni alimentari, stoffe e tessuti anche di seconda mano, spezie rare o manivali.
Guided visits and historical tours
During our visits we discovered that many synagogues are not immediately recognizable from the outside. That’s why a local guide can really make the difference. There are walking tours with local guides specialized in Venetian Jewish history that allow you to discover synagogues, stories and curiosities of the district in about 2 hours.
If you want to explore Venetian Jewish culture without missing important details, a guided tour is one of the most complete options.
You can check availability and schedules online here.
The Jewish Museum of Venice
Here you can still find centuries-old masterpieces in silver and gold, many linked to religious rituals. Numerous documents and books are preserved inside the museum’s display cases. The first rabbinic Bible in history was printed in Venice. It is without doubt one of the most interesting museums in Venice and we highly recommend visiting it.
This is because from the 1520s onward culture began to flourish thanks to developments in printing and the cultural project carried out together by the various Jewish communities living in the city.
The Jewish Cemetery
In 1386 the Serenissima authorities granted the Jewish community a small piece of land on the Lido of Venice, to be used as a burial ground. Soon, especially in the San Nicolò area, acts of vandalism were recorded against the graves, with remains even being unearthed and scattered. For this reason, the Jewish community obtained permission to build a fence around this first cemetery.
The “Mad Staircase”
Even today in Corte Scala Mata you can admire the very steep wooden staircase built in the 1700s that leads to the top floor. Its name comes from the fact that the staircase had to adapt to the continuous divisions and fragmentation of the apartments for new arrivals.
What to do and eat in the Venice Jewish Ghetto
The goose culinary tradition
In the past olive oil was not so common in popular culture and goose fat was widely used instead. One of the most fascinating stories linked to this district concerns the presence of thousands of geese freely wandering through the narrow streets.
This precious animal, raised by the Jewish community, was used much like pork: for many different needs. From eggs to feathers, from meat to fat. Even in the 19th century there was a surprisingly high number of geese recorded in the neighborhood.
Further reading: 15 traditional Venetian dishes
Shops, small workshops and local products
During our walk in the Jewish Ghetto we were fascinated by the originality of the local activities. We even got lost – and brought home a beautiful lithograph – in the small art gallery of Michal Meron. We visited her atelier and took with us this small masterpiece:
To taste something characteristic, right in front of the gallery there is a small bakery where you can try many Jewish specialties, unleavened and rooted in a thousand-year-old kosher culinary tradition.
The history of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice
“By order of Doge Leonardo Loredan, the Jews, within three days, must live together in the houses located in the area known as San Gerolamo, called the Getto, seat of the public foundries. And so that they may not wander about all night, two gates shall be built: they must be opened in the morning at the Marangona and closed in the evening at midnight, with four Christian guards appointed for this purpose and paid by the Jews at a price deemed appropriate by our council. Thus the Senate of Venice approved this decree on March 29, 1516.”
With this announcement the Venetian ghetto was created: four guards controlled the only two entrance gates of this small city within Venice, open only at specific hours, which soon became an essential hub in the history of the Serenissima. due porte di accesso a questa piccola città dentro Venezia aperta solo in determinate ore e che divenne presto un polo indispensabile nel processo storico della Serenissima.
Today this place still preserves its urban layout almost intact.
The life of Jews in the Venetian Ghetto
From the late 1200s Jews were already active in lending money and soon became skilled merchants relied upon by many prominent figures. From 1516 they were confined within the ghetto walls, which however did not prevent them from observing Jewish traditions: Sabbath rest, daily prayers, rituals and annual festivities.
Because migration flows were numerous and space limited, homes in the Venetian ghetto were very small, often subdivided. Over time they grew vertically, reaching even 8–9 floors with ceilings about 2 meters high.
Due to uncertainty and instability, almost all houses were rented, and over time a kind of right was established allowing children to inherit the possibility of keeping the rental after the parents’ death.
The Old, New and Newest Ghetto
The history of the Venetian Ghetto is still very relevant today because it symbolizes the reaction of residents to a massive migration flow. The community was large and important for the city, and Jews maintained good relations with Christians. Soon the Ghetto Nuovo was joined by the Ghetto Vecchio (1541) and the Ghetto Novissimo (1630): three small islands surrounded by water and connected by small bridges.
So when people talk about the Venice Ghetto, they are actually referring to three different Jewish ghettos, all very densely populated. Over time, the various communities living within those high walls learned to coexist and organize themselves peacefully. They even learned Italian together, which eventually became the common language that allowed them to understand one another.
CURIOSITY – Where does the word “Ghetto” come from?
The term ghetto derives from the word getto, meaning the place where metal was cast. Since the Venetian ghetto was built near foundries and many German-origin Jews pronounced the letter G as GH, the word “Ghetto” was born.
With the decline of the Republic of Venice and the arrival of Napoleon, Jews were no longer forced to remain within their district. While many ordinary residents stayed in the Ghetto out of habit and a sense of protection, the few wealthier families began to move away, purchasing homes outside the walls. One of the most prestigious buildings acquired was Ca’ d’Oro, a medieval palace that today houses the art collection of Baron Franchetti (who was Jewish)
During World War I, the Jewish community became even more integrated into Venetian and Italian society, as hundreds of young men from the Ghetto took part in the conflict and never returned home. At the end of the 1930s, following the enactment of the Racial Laws, many fled to Switzerland or America. The Ghetto gradually emptied, and far too many were deported to concentration camps — only eight of them returned.
How to get to the Venice Ghetto
The Venetian Jewish quarter is very close to Santa Lucia train station, so we recommend a walk: in less than 10 minutes you can reach it. Here is the map.
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