The Jewish Ghetto of Rome

Disappeared Ghetto: Arco delle Azimelle in a watercolour by Ettore Roesler Franz (1880 ca.). The Azimelle are jewish unleavened breads, which were produced in a bakery in this lane.

There has been a Jewish community in Rome since the 1st century B.C. In imperial times about 30,000 Jews lived and worked in Trastevere, just across the river from the city proper. After the fall of the Roman empire the population of the city diminished drastically. The number of Jews decreased, too, but they continued to play an important part in the economy of Rome.

In the Middle Ages the Jewish community moved to the eastern bank of the Tiber. At about the same time, the first signs of discrimination began to appear. In 1215 a law was passed obliging Jews to wear a yellow beret or shawl so that they could be easily distinguished. Hostility towards the community gradually increased, reaching its height in the 16th century, during the period of the Inquisition. In 1555 Pope Paul IV confined all the Jews of Rome to a small area which became known as the Ghetto, taking its name from the Jewish quarter of Venice. High walls were built around it and a curfew was imposed.

For three centuries, over 4,000 people lived and worked on this tiny scrap of land. They built high tenements on the river bank, but during the frequent floods the lower floors had to be evacuated. Living conditions were unhygienic in the extreme. Jewish citizens were allowed to trade only in rags and second-hand goods or to work as tailors. Only after the Unity of Italy in 1870 did the Jews finally acquire equal rights.

Soon afterwards, most of the old buildings of the Ghetto were demolished. The old synagogue, housing the Cinque Schole where different Jewish rites were celebrated, was left standing, but not for long: it was destroyed by a fire in 1893. Now the area is occupied by a school, a splendid new synagogue (inaugurated in 1904) and other buildings dating from the turn of the century.
Many Jewish families chose to remain in the area. Some had already opened shops in the streets nearby; there were kosher butchers and bakers close at hand. Now when Romans speak of the Ghetto they refer to the whole area that lies between Via delle Botteghe Oscure and the river, which includes some interesting sights.

Piazza Mattei has an attractive 16th-century fountain, the Fountain of the Turtles. Via S. Ambrogio gives a good idea of what the old ghetto must have been like. The Portico d'Ottavia was erected by the emperor Augustus in honor of his sister Octavia. Some of its columns were incorporated into the church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria, which takes its name from the fish market which used to be held here (pesce means fish). In the 17th and 18th century the Jews were forced to come to this church on Saturday afternoons to listen to a sermon. (It is said that many of them put wax in their ears to avoid hearing the words of the priest.).

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