Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere

• PHOTOS

This walk looks at two neighborhoods of Rome that have traditionally been home to cultures outside of the power-wielding majority: the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere. Our walk covers the Ghetto itself and the history of the Jewish community in Rome (the oldest in Europe). When possible we will visit the Synagogue and its museum. We also visit such notable sites within the Ghetto as Portico d'Ottavia, Piazza Mattei, and the kosher restaurants and Jewish-owned businesses that give the area its character today.

We will cross to the Tiber Island, which, according to some theories, may be where the first activity of Rome as a city took place. We will spend some time discussing the river and some of the noteworthy monuments in the vicinity include the remains of the Ponte Rotto and the travertine "prow of Aeneas' ship" embedded into the island. We then cross over into Trastevere, one of the most characteristic neighborhoods in Rome. Our course through Trastevere will take us past some of the

This walk looks at two neighborhoods of Rome that have traditionally been home to cultures outside of the power-wielding majority: the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere. Our walk covers the Ghetto itself and the history of the Jewish community in Rome (the oldest in Europe). When possible we will visit the Synagogue and its museum. We also visit such notable sites within the Ghetto as Portico d'Ottavia, Piazza Mattei, and the kosher restaurants and Jewish-owned businesses that give the area its character today.

We will cross to the Tiber Island, which, according to some theories, may be where the first activity of Rome as a city took place. We will spend some time discussing the river and some of the noteworthy monuments in the vicinity include the remains of the Ponte Rotto and the travertine "prow of Aeneas' ship" embedded into the island. We then cross over into Trastevere, one of the most characteristic neighborhoods in Rome. Our course through Trastevere will take us past some of the important churches, including Santa Cecilia, which is built upon the ruins of an ancient (2nd century) Roman house, and Santa Maria in Trastevere, a titular church and one of the oldest Christian sites in the world. If time allows, and interest among the group impels, we may also visit S. Francesco a Ripa, where one of Bernini's most wonderful and least-visited statues rests.

This walk, though taking on a different character depending on whether an art historian or religions historian is leading it, always focuses on the idea of pluralism in Roman society and how minority, or outsider, groups like the early Christians or the Jews (throughout history) left their mark on the city. In addition to landmarks and major monuments, we always spend quite a bit of time traversing back alleys and sidestreets in order to get a taste of this most exquisite and un-visited part of Rome.