The beautiful Synagogue in the Jewish Rome is the start of the territory to where the Jewish people in Rome was deported in 1555. The territory lies between Via Porttico d’Ottavia and Via Arenula.

Rome is the only city in Europe in which Jews have lived continuously for 2200 years. During the time of the Emperor Augustus almost 40 000 jews lived in Rome. It was the Pope Paulus IV who in the year 1555 decided that the jewish people could not live anywhere else in Rome but in this territory which was called the Ghetto. The Pope also tried to force the Jews to convert into Christianity by demanding that they regularly visited Christian churches.

In 1848 the jewish people were freed from the necessity to live only in the Ghetto and many buildings were torn down. Luckily enough, everything were not destroyed and still there are traces of the past in this area. Here one can also find a memorial of the many Jews who were deported during the second world war.

The Jewish environments are very pitoresque with a lot of Koscherstores, lokal bakeries and restaurants with jewish food as speciality. It is very nice to visit the Ghetto in the evening to dine. The street Via Porttico d’Ottavia offers many small genuine restaurants that serve typical jewish food.