Jewish Heritage Walk Through Genova
Meet your tour guide at a predecided location and discover the hidden traces of the Jews in Genoa from medieval times to the 20th century.
Start from the former Jewish ghetto, established in the second half of the 17th century near the old port area, and walk through the narrow alleys of the labyrinthine old town of Genoa.
Explore Piazza De Ferrari, where you will discover the astonishing history of the Jews in the 19th century and the drama of the Second World War.
Walk up to the Cathedral and the neighbourhood called "il Molo" (the old harbour), where Jews lived in the 18th century and where a small synagogue was built.
Visit the synagogue in Genoa, located in the residential area of Castelletto on Bertora Street. It represents the main point of reference for the Genovese Jewish community. Built in Byzantine style in 1935, it is the most recent of the Jewish centres in the city. The "small temple," where the old furnishings, including the Aron Kodesh from the previous 18th-century synagogue, can be seen upon request.
See the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, primarily a Catholic cemetery. Within its walls are two Jewish cemeteries, a Protestant section, Orthodox, Moslem, and military and civilian English burial grounds. The small Jewish community of Genoa was devastated during the Holocaust, and very few remain to tend to their ancestors.
