The Jewish Ghetto, Across the River from Trastevere Rome
The Jewish Ghetto is not in Trastevere, but it is one short walk away, over Tiber Island. Several tours cross into it, some for the history and some for the food. Planning a Trastevere Rome walking tour that takes in both banks? Here is what you will be walking through.
Across Tiber Island: where the Ghetto is
The old Ghetto lies on the left bank of the Tiber, directly opposite Trastevere. It sits in Rione Sant'Angelo, around the Portico of Octavia, with the Great Synagogue on the riverbank. From Trastevere you walk it in about ten minutes.
Step one: Ponte Cestio
From the Trastevere bank, cross this short bridge onto Tiber Island. The bridge you walk on was largely rebuilt between 1880 and 1892.
Step two: Tiber Island
The island is where several food walks meet you. Cross it in a minute, past the church of San Bartolomeo.
Step three: Ponte Fabricio
Built in 62 BC, it is the oldest Roman bridge still standing in its original form. It lands you by the Great Synagogue.
1555 to 1870: the walled Ghetto
For three centuries Rome's Jews were confined to a few streets by the river. The bull that created the Ghetto in 1555 also locked its gates at night. The walls are gone now, but the streets still follow their old line. The dates below are the ones you will hear on a walk.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 14 July 1555 | Pope Paul IV's bull Cum nimis absurdum confines Rome's Jews to a walled ghetto, its gates locked at night |
| 1580s | Giacomo della Porta and Taddeo Landini build the Fontana delle Tartarughe in Piazza Mattei |
| 1658 | The bronze turtles are added to the fountain |
| 1870 | The ghetto is abolished |
| 1888 | Its walls are demolished |
| 1904 | The Great Synagogue is completed on the riverbank |
| 16 October 1943 | German forces raid the quarter; CDEC records 1,022 people still held after the releases |
| 18 October 1943 | The train carrying them leaves Rome's Tiburtina station at 19:00 |
16 October 1943
From 5:30 on the morning of Saturday 16 October 1943, German forces raided the Ghetto and the streets around it. Families were taken from their homes and held. People from mixed marriages were released that evening. The Fondazione CDEC, Italy's Jewish documentation centre, records that 1,022 people remained in Nazi hands after those releases.
The rest were held for more than fifty hours. At 19:00 on 18 October their train left Tiburtina station for Auschwitz. Very few came back. You will see small brass stolpersteine, the “stumbling stones” set into the pavement, in front of the doors they were taken from. Look down as you walk, and you will find them.
The Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum of Rome
The Great Synagogue was completed in 1904, once the Ghetto walls had come down. You can go inside only with the Jewish Museum of Rome, whose ticket includes a guided visit to the synagogue. The museum is closed on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays, so plan a Friday visit early.
| Jewish Museum of Rome | What the museum publishes |
|---|---|
| What the ticket covers | The museum, plus a guided visit inside the Great Synagogue |
| Full ticket | €12 |
| Reduced | €10 |
| Students under 25 | €6, with proof of enrolment |
| Children under 10 | Free |
| Booking online | Adds a €1 fee |
| 1 April to 30 September | Sunday to Thursday 10:00–18:00; Friday 10:00–16:00 |
| October to March | Shorter: Sunday to Thursday closing between 16:00 and 17:00; Friday 9:00–14:00 |
| Closed | Saturdays and Jewish holidays |
No tour here includes a Jewish Museum ticket. The Ghetto walks stay outside the synagogue and the museum, so if you want to go in, book the museum yourself for another time. The private Ghetto walk asks you to cover your shoulders and knees for places of worship.
The Portico of Octavia, the Theatre of Marcellus and the Turtle Fountain
Three monuments frame the Ghetto, and a history walk stops at each.
The Portico of Octavia
A Roman portico rebuilt by Augustus in honour of his sister Octavia. Its surviving columns stand at the entrance to the old Ghetto, and the quarter's main street runs from it.
The Theatre of Marcellus
An open-air Roman theatre inaugurated under Augustus, with later houses built into its upper storeys. It stands a few steps from the Portico.
The Turtle Fountain
The Fontana delle Tartarughe in Piazza Mattei, built in the 1580s. Its four bronze turtles were added in 1658. One private walk names it on its route.
Carciofo alla giudia and the Roman-Jewish table
The dish you will be told to order is the carciofo alla giudia, the “Jewish-style artichoke”. It is a whole artichoke, flattened and deep-fried until the leaves open and crisp. It is the emblem of Roman-Jewish cooking. Roman artichokes are a winter and spring crop, so that is when you should look for it.
The food walks that pass through the Ghetto stop for a tasting on the way to Trastevere. If you have a food allergy, read the tour's rules before you book: some of the walks that cross the river refuse nut and soy allergies outright.
The tours that cross into the Ghetto
These are the tours whose route covers the Ghetto as well as Trastevere. The history walks run two hours. The food walks run longer, because you eat as you go.
| Tour | How it covers the Ghetto | Food or history |
|---|---|---|
| Food and wine walk, Campo de' Fiori to Trastevere via the Ghetto | Tastings on the way, past the Portico of Octavia, then over Tiber Island by Ponte Fabricio | Food and wine |
| Private food and wine walk from Piazza Farnese | Named in the route; the order of stops changes by day | Food and wine, private |
| Private walk through Trastevere and the Ghetto | Over the river to the Portico of Octavia, the Great Synagogue from outside, the Theatre of Marcellus | History, private |
| Semi-private walk through Trastevere and the Ghetto | The same two neighborhoods, in a small group | History |
Want both neighborhoods in one walk?
Pick the history walk if the synagogue and the Portico are the point, or the food walk if you want to taste your way over the river.
Next: read about the Trastevere neighborhood on the other bank, find your meeting point on the Trastevere map, or compare every fare on Trastevere Rome Tours.