Contact Us

Renaissance synagogues being restored in Venice's ghetto

Venice's Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th-century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through.

  • 8
  • 11
None is visible from the street, as strict rules imposed by Venice's rulers didn't allow Jews to practice their faith openly. All the synagogues are hidden away on the top floors of seemingly normal buildings that on the lower levels held cramped living spaces for Jewish families.