Private Walk Through the Jewish Ghetto in Rome
Description
Discover the beauty, mystery and history of the world’s oldest Jewish Ghetto and find the hidden treasures of Rome that most tourists never see. This tour of the more local side of Rome has you meet your friendly, expert guide in Piazza Venezia at the North side of Trajan's Column before you head into the famous Jewish Ghetto or Jewish Quarter. Discover one of the oldest and still functioning parts of Rome as your guide brings this area to life.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will begin at Trajan's Column and see Piazza Venezia before walking up the gently sloping steps to Piazza del Campidoglio to see the marvelous design of the square that was all imagined by the great Michelangelo, and now home to the famous Capitoline Museums.
From here we walk to the Theater of Marcellus, often jokingly referred to as the little Colosseum. Though architecturally similar to the Colosseum, the Theatre of Marcellus is slightly older, dating all the way back to 12BC and it did not house any of the blood sports, and now is home to a few lucky residents who live in the apartments above the theater.
On our walk we will see the many restaurants in the neighborhood and stop for a taste of traditional Kosher gelato. Then we will have a short walk to the magnificent Fontana delle Tartarughe (The Turtle Fountain), a true masterpiece of the late Italian Renaissance, where you will discover how it was famously constructed in just one day.
Constructed in 1555, this is the oldest Jewish Ghetto. The pope revoked all rights granted to the Roman Jews, and barred them from all types of trade and the ability to own real estate. In spite of this, the Jewish community thrived inside developing business trade, a unique and wonderful cuisine inside their walls and even their own dialect of Italian. The Great Synagogue, still the third largest in Europe, functions today as a place of prayer and a vital cultural reference point for the entire Jewish community of Rome.
From here it is a very short walk to the Porticus Octaviae, an enormous structure built by the emperor Augustus in honor of his sister Octavia. From the 15th to early 20th century it was the home to Rome’s fish market. It is from here that we enter the Ghetto itself.
Concluding at Tiber Island where past and present slip seamlessly into one, the island was used by the ancient Romans as a hospital with the river helping them as a natural barrier aiding to stop the spread of disease, and one of Rome’s best hospitals can still be found on that site today. Giving a beautiful view of the river, the island is conveniently placed between the Ghetto and the local neighborhood of Trastevere and is well connected to get back to any part of the city.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Wheelchair accessible
Reviews(19)
Jamie was absolutely fantastic. We learned about the history of ancient Rome in addition to the Jewish Ghetto.
Ciao Ilene! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed your tour with Jamie. He has such a passion and enthusiasm for the history of the city that his tours always end up being engaging and memorable. We hope the rest of your time in Rome was as enjoyable and we hope to see you back here soon. Safe travels!
Jaime’s knowledge on the Discovering Jewish history walking tour was excellent and he sprinkled the discussion with anicdotes and stories. My only negative was that at the beginning he probably spent a little too long talking about the history before we actually got walking. Having said that his knowledge was amazing !! Lovely guy on top of everything !!
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed thr tour with Jamie. He has such a passion for history and it really comes out on his tours. There is a lot of history to discuss on the tour and he might have extended it a bit to allow late comers to catch the group before actually setting off. We will discuss it with him however. Many thanks once again and we hope you have a wonderful time in Rome. Safe travels!
Jamie, the archeologist, was a great guide through the Jewish ghetto. He was knowledgeable and engaging
Ciao Alex! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Jamie. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
James was a tremendous guide. He contextualized the Ghetto within the larger Roman experience over hundreds of years. He was also Incredibly knowledgeable about a broad range of Roman history. We peppered him with myriad questions out of intellectual curiosity and because he covered so much ground. He had the answer to them all. Amazing. And to top it off, he made it fun. And introduced us to the best ice cream in Rome! Thank you James!
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with James. He is a fantastic guide who really knows his stuff. As a local he also knows the best eateries, so you can always trust his recommendations. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
An excellent tour. We saw a lot and learned a lot. James was an excellet guide and we highly recommend him and this tour.
Ciao Emeric! Many thanks for your kind words. James is indeed an excellent guide. His knowledge is so vast and he has a great way of making it entertaining and relatable. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope to see you again soon in Rome. Saf travels!
This was a great tour. Out tour guide was super knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He made the tour so enjoyable and informative. Highly recommend this tour.
Ciao Phillip! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the Jewish quarter with us, enjoy your time in Rome and safe travels!
Our tour guide was amazing! She was friendly, informative, personable, knowledgeable. We all enjoyed it!
Ciao Randi! Many thanks for your kind words. Your guide, Angela, is amazing at her job. Her passion for the history of Rome really comes out in her tours. We are so glad you enjoyed it with her. We hope to see you guys again soon. Safe travels!
We had the most informative and moving tour of Jewish Rome. The hard, sad parts of centuries long struggles. Our guide, Angela, is so learned, showed true compassion and emotion over the events in Rome’s past. It was eye opening and heart-stirring. Thank you for a marvelous and meaningful afternoon.
Thank you Heather, Angela is amazing and we are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour with her!
Paul was an amazing tour guide and I wish he could have done all of our tours in Rome. He has an immense knowledge of the multi culture history of Rome and he shared his love for Italy in his tour!! I highly recommend this tour with Paul if you enjoy understanding the history of the Jewish Ghetto!
Ciao! Thank you so much for your kind words. Paul really is wonderful and his knowledge is something else. We are very lucky to have him with us. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
We really enjoyed The Tour of The Jewish Ghetto with Roman Vacations. We were thrilled with our guide , he was kind and really intelligent and patient. Our tour was comprised of couples and families and each person appeared really engaged. We travelled with our young adult son and each of us really took so much from our guides tour. We would definitely use them again , they provided an exemplary service that is exactly as outlined on their website and much more. The tour was filled will tons of sights from Roman Temples to Pagan ruins. The Jewish Ghetto was beautiful despite its innocent residents horrific abuse and murder , from the expulsions and mistreatment to the forced deportations and murder of innocent Jewish men , woman and children during the Holocaust. Their stories were told both factually and respectfully by our guide. There are also beautifully crafted brass floor tiles outside the homes commemorating the names and place of death of Jewish victims of the Nazis . This really is a highly recommended company and Tour as our guide did an incredible job on all levels. He covered this tour with breadth and scope and we are really thankful to have been on his tour. It was crazy hot in Rome and the complementary delicious gelato at a wonderful Gelateria in the heart of the Jewish Ghetto was a welcome and nice surprise. Thank you for a memorable day.
Thank you so much for such a wonderful review! We are so, so, glad we were able to give you such a wonderful experience. We hope to see you again!
