Bologna's Jewish Ghetto
A tight knot of medieval lanes a two-minute walk from the Two Towers, the Ghetto Ebraico is the best-preserved corner of old Bologna, and most visitors stroll straight past it.
The Jewish Ghetto sits right in the heart of the centro storico, wedged between the Two Towers and the university quarter, yet hardly anyone finds it on purpose. Duck into Via de' Giudei from Via Rizzoli and the city changes character in a few steps. The lanes narrow, the houses lean in over your head with overhanging upper floors and covered passages, and the traffic noise drops away. This is what medieval Bologna actually looked like.
- Where
- Between the Two Towers & Via Zamboni
- Core streets
- Via de' Giudei, Via dell'Inferno, Via del Carro
- Cost to walk
- Free, open all day
- Time needed
- 30–45 min on foot
A quick history
Jews had lived and worked in Bologna for centuries before things turned. In 1555 a papal bull from Pope Paul IV ordered the Jewish population of the Papal States walled into segregated quarters, and Bologna's ghetto was created the following year, in 1556. It was a closed neighborhood with three gates that guards locked at sunset and opened at dawn. The community was expelled outright in 1569 and not allowed to return properly until the end of the 1700s. That painful history is exactly why the area survived so intact. It was a poor, hemmed-in district that escaped the grand rebuilding that smoothed out the rest of the centre.
Walking the ghetto
Start where most guided walks start, on Via de' Giudei (literally "street of the Jews"), with the Two Towers at your back. It feeds into Via dell'Inferno, the spine of the old ghetto, supposedly named for its poor light and grim reputation. From there the lanes branch into Via Canonica, Via del Carro and the narrow Vicolo Mandria, once called Via del Ghetto.
Look up and look closely as you go. The houses sit almost on top of each other, linked by covered balconies and little wooden decks. You will spot tiny windows, plenty of doorways, and some false doors built to disguise the real entrances tucked away in more hidden spots. There is still a small peephole that residents used to watch the street below.
One of the original ghetto gates survives at the corner of Via del Carro and Via Zamboni, where a large arch with the carved "mascherone" of Palazzo Malvasia opens into the maze. It is an easy thing to walk under without noticing what it once was.
Local tip
Go in the late afternoon, when the low sun slants down the alleys and the area is at its most atmospheric. It is also genuinely quiet, so it pairs well as a slow detour between the towers and an aperitivo on Via Zamboni.
The synagogue
At Via dell'Inferno 16, a plaque marks the spot of the ghetto's only permitted synagogue, in use from 1556 until the 1569 expulsion. Bologna's working synagogue today is nearby, rebuilt in the mid-19th century with a deliberately plain facade. It was damaged in World War II, restored in 1955 and is still in active use. The interior is open to visitors by guided tour with advance booking through the Jewish Community of Bologna, so check ahead rather than turning up and hoping.
The Jewish Museum (MEB)
Round the corner at Via Valdonica 1/5, inside the 16th-century Palazzo Pannolini, the Museo Ebraico di Bologna (MEB) tells the long story of Jewish life across Bologna and Emilia-Romagna, from the Middle Ages to the present. It leans educational rather than relic-heavy, with multimedia displays rather than rooms of objects, and it runs guided tours on some Sundays. It is a good 30 to 45 minutes and the natural anchor for a visit to the quarter. Check the museum's official hours and ticket prices before you go, since they shift seasonally.
What's nearby
The ghetto is small, so build it into a wider loop. The Asinelli and Garisenda towers are at the doorstep (if you plan to climb the Asinelli, remember it needs a timed ticket booked ahead, and the leaning Garisenda is fenced off for structural work). Via Zamboni runs straight into the student quarter around the university, and a short walk south brings you to the churches and piazza of Santo Stefano. For the wider lay of the land, see our guide to the centro storico.
See the ghetto with someone who knows it
The history here is easy to miss on your own. A small-group walking tour of Bologna's medieval centre, or a dedicated Jewish-heritage walk, gets you the stories behind the gates, the false doors and the synagogue.
Browse Bologna walking toursStaying near the ghetto
Bedding down in this part of the centre puts you within a few minutes' walk of the towers, the Quadrilatero market and the university. It is central and walkable, though the lanes can be lively at night near the student bars. For the full picture, see where to stay in Bologna.
Hotels in Bologna's old centre
Stay inside the porticoed historic core and most of the city is on foot from your door.
Find central Bologna hotelsKeep exploring
The ghetto is one of several distinct quarters worth poking around. Compare it with the bohemian bars of Via Pratello, the changing streets of Bolognina across the tracks, or the green slopes of the Bologna hills. When you get hungry, the city's food scene is a short walk in any direction, and there's plenty more in the full list of things to do.