In 1555 Pope Paul IV established the ghetto, a run-down district where Jews were forced to live apart from the rest of the population.
Finally in 1870 Jews were free and in the next decades the whole area will be demolished and rebuilt over the level of the river.
The new neighborhood as we see it nowadays extends over an area of four city blocks, crossed by Via Catalana and Via del Tempio; it is delimited on one side by Via Portico d’Ottavia and on the other by the Tiber river.
Expert educators from the Museum will accompany you on a pleasant walk through the picturesque lanes, streets and piazzas of the Jewish neighborhood. From Lungotevere De’ Cenci, to San Grgorio’s Church, Largo 16 Ottobre, passing trough Via del Portico d’Ottavia, Via della Reginella, Piazza delle Cinuque Scole and Largo Stefano Tachè.
The “Jewish Ghetto” is a lively showplace of a modern and ancient Rome. Even though most of the original area desappeared, there are still visible evidences and tangible testaments of its history.