Jewish traditions in Florence: private walking tour
Description
Come and discover the Florentine Jewish world! The origin of the Jewish community in Florence, which today numbers almost a thousand people, began even before the period of regency of the Medici family, with the trade of fabrics, fine textiles and money movements of the first Florentine banks. The prosperity of the business continued for many centuries, until the creation of the Jewish ghetto in 1500s and then the construction of the splendid Synagogue in the late 1800s. To know the history and the events that bind Florence and the Jewish people, join our tour, in an itinerary that touches all the places where there are traces of the flourishing Jewish society: the Ponte Vecchio, Borgo San Jacopo, Repubblic square (where once the Jewish ghetto was found), Duomo square, today’s Jewish Quarter, the Museum of Jewish Traditions and the Synagogue, wonderful Moorish-style structure, with its unmistakable copper-green dome. We will discover together the traces of Jewish history in Florence!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Ponte Vecchio, symbol of Florence, the only bridge that survived the Second World War, with the typical goldsmith shops known all over the world
Borgo San Jacopo, a street of the Oltrarno district in Florence where we will find some memories of the life of the Jews in the Middle Ages
Piazza della Repubblica, the elegant nineteenth-century square built over the ghetto now decayed and completely dismantled. We will read together the traces of the era of the ghetto in this bright square of lights and colors
in this square we will stop to explain the fantastic Gates of Paradise, made of gilded bronze by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the Renaissance period. We will read the panels together with the stories of Genesis.
The main synagogue of Florence is located in the historic center of Florence, in Via Farini. Its copper green dome is a famous point of the city panorama
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please wear comfortable shoes
Reviews(4)
Our guide was not prepared with information to make this a memorable experience. Her pace was slow, unorganized and she did not arrive with headphones to help us hear her through the large crowds. Unfortunately it took over 2.5 hours (almost the full tour time) to reach the highlight/end of the tour where we were scheduled to spend 1.5 hours (half) of the allotted time. We had to rush through and we did not get to fully experience the beautiful synagogue and museum.
Dear Tracy, thank you very much for your review, even is not positive. We are sorry for your feeling about the tour. Manuela is an high expert of Jewish traditions in Florence and she showed you every single place in the tour program dedicated to the Jewish history in Florence, including the Gates of Paradise with the history of the Old Testament. Your commentary was: these doors are on a Christian church:))Yes, the synagogue is a little bit far away from the centre, 12 minutes walk, but this is part of the tour. Inside the Synagogue Museum she was talking about the Brotherwood Mattir Assurim, very important history for the Florence Community and you said: ok, keep going. Head phones for 3 persons are not advised at all, as you were close to her in a much more friendly atmosphere. The feeling she had was that you, more than enjoying the tour, just wanted to fight agaist her for every single detail. What was this for?
Be sure to leave enough time to sit and take in the feeling of being in the Sanctuary Be sure to watch the video in the museum
The guide told us all about her family, her experiences, things she’s seen and done in other countries, architecture, who created assorted statues, but nothing of the famous Jews of Florence, Jewish occupations (other than showing us the area where Jews who were in some way involved in Medicci banking may have lived). We saw many churches and learned about them. We arrived at the synagogue with about 20 minutes to spare and we knew far more than our guide about the shul. The guide pointed out one plaque in the ground honouring a Jew killed during the Shoah but no other plaques, said nothing about mezuzahs and didn’t know where Jews lived during the Holocaust. We learned nothing about the history of the Jews in Florence.
We are very sorry you had such an experience with Marijiana. She always tries to create an intimate atmosphere with clients and is moreover very knowledgeable about the Jewish traditions in Florence. We are very upset you did not appreciate her
Perfect to understand Jewish history in the area. The guide has a great knowledge of the history and of the main events
