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Apartments in this quarter:
"TITIAN", a
one bedr., sitting room apartment accommodating up to 4 persons overlooking the Campo de'
Fiori square
"VIVALDI", large deluxe apartment. Three
bedrooms, sitting room, dining room, ample kitchen, two bathrooms accommodating up to 7
persons
"CARAVAGGIO", a large, fine and quaint
studio, with separate kitchen, bathroom, foyer accommodating 2 persons
"MARCO POLO", a one bedroom, sitting
room attic with large roof garden with spectacular views of all Rome, accommodating. 2
persons.
You will find the map of the quarter, with precise indication of where the
apartments are, in the section A2 of the map of Rome, please click here. Once
you will be in the page, click on section A2, the exact location of the
apartments will be shown. If you want to go directly to section A2, please click here.
We also supply information on KOSHER RESTAURANTS and SHOPS, and also about KOSHER CATERING SERVICES!
Rome's Jews are Europe's
longest surviving Jewish community and occupy a unique place in the history of the
Diaspora. Jews have been living in Rome, as well as in other Mediterranean cities, since
the 4-5th century BC. Palestine was an overcrowded land, at times troubled also by
military occupations. The Jews migrated to the other Mediterranean towns, where they
formed communities. In ancient Rome they were generally well tolerated, and there were
emperors like Julius Caesar who established good relations with the community. |
The heart of the quarter: Via Portico d'Ottavia. The Via Portico d'Ottavia (photo above) is still the centre of the Jewish life in Rome. It used to mark the Ghetto's boundary. It takes its name from the porch of Ottavia's market, which is at its end (it can be seen in the background). The street is a lively hotchpotch of ancient, medieval and Renaissance architecture. |
| After the bull "Cum Nisim Absurdam"
issued by the anti-Semitic Pope Paul IV in 1556, the walls of the Ghetto (a word Venetian
in origin) were built, separating the Jewish and Christian parts of the city. The Jews
lost property rights, suffered of trading restrictions, and a curfew was imposed. They
were periodically compelled to attend mass in churches, where they were lectured to
convert. When unification occurred in 1870 the conditions of the Jews were squalid. The
new Italian government destroyed the walls, and the Jews enjoyed a process of
emancipation. They became a normal and essential element of the Italian society. In September 1943 the Nazi occupiers pretended 50kg of gold from the community, to be presented in 36 hours. Both Jews and non-Jews responded and the goal was reached, but the Nazi still deported over 2,000 Jews to Auschwitz. One quarter of Rome's Jews died, but the number would have been higher had it not been for the help of wide sections of the Roman society, including the Catholic priesthood. Present in all professional positions, the Jews today contribute to the broader Italian culture also with many intellectuals. The Italian Jews are quite happy to consider themselves Italian, and are considered by their compatriots an essential variant of the broader Italian society. Some Jews even applied a Hebrew etymology to the word "Italia", deriving it from "I Tal Yah" - island of the dew of God. |
The Synagogue The Italian Jews follow their own rite, as their
presence occurred before the destruction of the second Temple of 70 AD, and are also not
Sephardi (Jews of the Arab countries), nor Ashkenazim (Eastern Europe Jews). |
Only 4,000 Italian Jews migrated to Israel in the last 50 years (out of a community of 30,000 members). Most of them migrated just after WW2, after the disastrous experience of the holoucast and for the foundation of Israel. Typically, another part - still a minority - moved later motivated by cultural / religious reasons. They usually stay in Jerusalem for its special religious appeal, and generally have a good economic background (on the contrary of the majority of the Jews migrating to Israel). A third and final group, still a small minority, is made by those who move temporarily to Israel. They are generally moved by cultural interest, as well by political motivations (giving a contribute to the Israeli society and to Zionism). In Israel they usually undergo professional experiences which can be prolonged. Some want to attend military duties. Next year in Jerusalem? Yes, but only in prayers and in toasts: the large majority of Roman Jews count on passing it in Rome... They are often scoffed at with affection by the other Jews as "the Pope's Jews", especially by the Israeli, who find them all too Italian. |
The Portico d'Ottavia (Ottavia's Porch). As mentioned above, it was the porch of Ottavia's market. The porch is still intact, while instead of the market there is presently a church. |
An old palace of the ghetto in Via Portico d'Ottavia showing the degraded conditions of the quarter at the times of the ghetto |
Pastry shop in the same street. It is a tiny unmarked corner shop, with an all-female personnel producing legendary "torte di ricotta e visciole" (ricotta and damson tarts), and also fresh made irresistible crunchy biscuits with sultanas and nuts at sunset. |
Fountain delle Tartarughe (by Taddeo Landini) and Palazzo Mattei (at its right) |
The Tiberina island |
In the quarter there are also masterpieces, like the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtles
Fountain) by Taddeo Landini, with nearby the Palazzo Mattei (16th
century), with its fine inside marbles, statues and decorations.
The quarter ends on its side with the Tiber. The most ancient bridge in Rome, the Ponte
Fabricius, leads to the little Tiberina Island, which includes: the
Basilica of St. Bartholomew, the Catholic hospital Fatebenefratelli, the Jewish hospital,
the Jewish paper "Shalom", bars and restaurants. After the island there is the
Trastevere quarter (literally, beyond the Tiber). Please find below the link to it.
To visit the immediately adjacent quarters, click on these addresses-URLs:
- Rome with a view!
- The Pantheon quarter
- The Navona quarter
- The Campo de' Fiori quarter
- The Trastevere quarter
- The Trevi Fountain-Spanish Steps (Piazza
di Spagna)
- The Monti-Colosseum quarter
- The Roman Forum
- The Vatican quarter
- The Janiculum
