The Old Jewish Quarter
The Old Jewish Quarter
4.5
About
This historical Jewish Ghetto dates back to 1555, when Pope Paul IV restricted all Jews to a small area of the city, which was then walled in. Today, the ghetto has wonderful eating places with cross-cultural dishes, and a beautiful synagogue with a small museum inside.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighborhood: Regola
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
7,815 within 3 miles
Attractions
2,322 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
719 reviews
Excellent
403
Very good
257
Average
47
Poor
6
Terrible
6
Carolyn B
5 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Very interesting and our friendly guide Yousef was very informative. He made the history interesting and fun. The walk was easy, mostly flat. Small group made it easy hear Yousef talking and take photos.
Written September 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
אריאלה פ
Budapest, Hungary150 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
E visit Rome at first time, and start it here. We enjoyed the kosher Good food at area
Advice to take a tour guide.
Important part of the history of this city.
Advice to take a tour guide.
Important part of the history of this city.
Written September 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oldtraveller63
Toronto, Canada266 contributions
Apr 2022
The whole tour was very interesting - an eye-opener to a different Roman tour. The ending was a bit abrupt. We were left in front of the church with basically no instructions on how to get out of Trastevere. I was lucky I had been there a few hours before using the tram and kind of knew how to get back to the tram to reach Piazza Venezia. But other people appeared very confused. They assumed I was confused too so they didn't follow my steps. LOL!
Written May 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HSUK_2011
West Haddon, UK599 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
We are interested in the Jewish community and admire their resilience throughout history. We visited the Jewish quarter which was a welcome relief from what we had experienced of Rome so far. It was a short walk out of the centre and has a fabulous museum, synagogue and lots of quaint little streets to explore. Please go and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Written August 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mairwen1
United Kingdom11,166 contributions
Jun 2022
If you have already seen the big-ticket sights of Rome, the old Jewish Quarter is an interesting spot to explore. It’s a good walking area with relatively few tourists and you can see a lot in a short time.
In the 16th century, this was a ghetto, home to Europe’s oldest community of Jewish families. At the time, religious intolerance was spreading across Europe and in 1555, Pope Paul IV decreed that all Roman Jews were to be confined to the one area only, in a pocket near the Tiber River. It was a flood zone, with swampy land, recurrent malaria, over-crowded conditions and a curfew. A wall was built enclosing the area and although the Jewish population could leave during the day, they had to be be back behind the walls by nightfall. Incredibly, the walls remained in place for nearly 300 years, until 1848.
Depending on your background knowledge, it is well worth reading at least a little of the history before you go. We were glad we did because it made a huge difference.
Via Portico D’Ottavia is the main street through the area.
We walked the following route:
i) We started from the tiny but charming Piazza Mattei with its playful Turtle Fountain
ii) Next we strolled the pathways through the archaeological area that starts at the ancient Portico d’Ottavia and includes the Temple of Sosianus and the Colosseum-like Theatre of Marcellus. Entry is free.
iii) we paused by a small but very moving plaque in Largo 16 Ottobre 1943 which commemorates the date that Nazi troops began rounding up people within the Ghetto. 2,000 people were sent to Auschwitz. Less than 20 survived.
iv) We spent some time exploring the warren-like streets and atmospheric lanes. Lots of traditional Roman Jewish restaurants and bakeries around here
v) walked to the Synagogue with its recognisable square aluminium dome (unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit the museum)
vi) From the Synagogue we crossed the road to Ponte Fabricio, Rome’s oldest bridge, built in 62BC. This took us over the Tiber River to the ancient island, Isola Tiberina and from here, we continued on to explore Trastevere.
In the 16th century, this was a ghetto, home to Europe’s oldest community of Jewish families. At the time, religious intolerance was spreading across Europe and in 1555, Pope Paul IV decreed that all Roman Jews were to be confined to the one area only, in a pocket near the Tiber River. It was a flood zone, with swampy land, recurrent malaria, over-crowded conditions and a curfew. A wall was built enclosing the area and although the Jewish population could leave during the day, they had to be be back behind the walls by nightfall. Incredibly, the walls remained in place for nearly 300 years, until 1848.
Depending on your background knowledge, it is well worth reading at least a little of the history before you go. We were glad we did because it made a huge difference.
Via Portico D’Ottavia is the main street through the area.
We walked the following route:
i) We started from the tiny but charming Piazza Mattei with its playful Turtle Fountain
ii) Next we strolled the pathways through the archaeological area that starts at the ancient Portico d’Ottavia and includes the Temple of Sosianus and the Colosseum-like Theatre of Marcellus. Entry is free.
iii) we paused by a small but very moving plaque in Largo 16 Ottobre 1943 which commemorates the date that Nazi troops began rounding up people within the Ghetto. 2,000 people were sent to Auschwitz. Less than 20 survived.
iv) We spent some time exploring the warren-like streets and atmospheric lanes. Lots of traditional Roman Jewish restaurants and bakeries around here
v) walked to the Synagogue with its recognisable square aluminium dome (unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit the museum)
vi) From the Synagogue we crossed the road to Ponte Fabricio, Rome’s oldest bridge, built in 62BC. This took us over the Tiber River to the ancient island, Isola Tiberina and from here, we continued on to explore Trastevere.
Written February 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
susan s
Ann Arbor, MI39 contributions
My husband and I along with our friends were treated to a wonderful tour of the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. Jews have been in Rome since the time of Caesar, we learned. We also learned about the treatment of the Jewish population, and the meaning of many of the buildings and the history which we had been unfamiliar with. The synagogue is definitely worth visiting. Our guide was Micaela Pavoncello, and she was wonderful. She is very knowledgable and her English is fluent. Her family has been in Rome for centuries. We would highly recommend you take this tour. You can find her on the internet under [--].
Written March 30, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gradiva
Boston1,012 contributions
Nov 2010 • Solo
The Jewish Ghetto is an excellent location to explore all the treasures of Rome. It is right next to the beautiful ruins of Area Sacra Argentina and within 5 minutes walk to the Campidoglio, the Forum, the Pantheon, Campo de Fiori, and yet 10 minute walk to Trastevere – to Villa Farnesina and other marvels. Naturally, the Synagogue is right there, and you can visit an interesting Jewish Museum and the Synagogue itself.
Last year, I stayed for a month, from mid-October to mid-November, in an apartment “Piazza Costaguti”, which is a decent, albeit a very noisy place to stay. The best thing about it is that it is located in an ancient building, with living room and master bedroom windows facing the busiest central square of the Ghetto, in the very heart of it. It is a traffic-free zone, and the square is buzzing around clock - during the day crowds of tourists, led by loud guides; at the same time the main street of Via del Portico d'Ottavia is lined with inexpensive, open-air restaurants which are very popular and filled to capacity; consequently, the street musicians music is playing non-stop, and you will enjoy its merits from early afternoon towards late evening.
If you stay in Jewish Ghetto , be aware that as anywhere in Rome and Italy, the traffic-free zone does not mean that indeed no motor vehicle will break the pedestrian serenity. Although the square is protected by a metal barrier, some cars and especially motorcycles manage to sneak, enough of them to crack up deafening noise - the sound of a roaring engine reverberates at the buildings walls surrounding the small square. The fun continues into late night or early morning - till 3 am often; then, a cleaning truck will announce its arrival with incredible clamour, able to wake up the dead.
Everything gets closed Friday afternoon for Sabbath, and it becomes maybe a notch quieter, but then the youth gathers thickly by 10 pm, humming through the night. Piazza Costaguti never sleeps!
I stayed in the Ghetto at the end of October, the weather was perfect - sunny and warm, and the place was incredibly noisy day and night. Then in two weeks it became much colder, the rain came and the place attained some serenity and dreamy air – the tourists disappeared and the open-air restaurants moved inside. Yet the cleaning truck would visit each night, and young locals would not miss a drier night to hang out and even play soccer, as late as 10 pm.
However, even despite the noise, the place is very atmospheric. The immediate neighborhood is the richest in history - Portico d'Ottavia, the August's sister, is right there; Piazza Mattei with its beautiful fountain and Palazzo Costaguti, which is not open to the public, yet one can imagine great frescos that Stendhal mentions in his "Promenades dans Rome". Chiesa di San Carlo ai Catinari is another great baroque edifice, and Capella Costaguti with the cardinal hat laid in marble mosaic is the first chapel on the right.
Another great walk is along Via dei Funari, admiring, as Josef Brodsky, marvelous palazzi lining it, with a visit to Chiesa di Santa Maria in Campitelli and review of the magnificent Palazzo Albertoni across the church.
Those moved by the story of Beatrice Cenci will find Palazzo Cenci in two-minute walk, and the Palazzo where she was kept under arrest on Via Giulia, nearby.
The location of Ghetto is also very well linked with public transportation. Take a bus either to Teatro di Marcello or to Argentina (Largo di Torre Argentina) – both are also excellent, amazing sightseens. If you decide to use the bus, seriously beware of pickpocketing - it thrives in buses, which are otherwise very useful and efficient to get anywhere relatively quickly. ATAC website will make a route for you from Jewish Ghetto anywhere in Rome you'll want to go:
http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG
Staying as a Roman in one of Ghetto apartments is easy – there are two food supermarkets - Despar on Corso Vittorio Emmanuele and Punto right behind San Carlo, towards Sant’Andrea della Vale, on Via dei Monti della Farina. In the latter supermercato there is fresh fish stand towards the weekend, where you can buy the daily catch. Alternatively, you can shop for any food at Campo de Fiori, and there are numerous pizzerias around, selling every imaginable kind of pizza.
Naturally, there are a few kosher bakeries, to which people line up on Sunday morning. Overall, it is a marvelous area to stay in Rome - I stayed there for a month; the location is unbeatable yet the street noise is very intense, even if it subsides in November. But … you will feel the throbbing life of Rome, which is so lively.
Last year, I stayed for a month, from mid-October to mid-November, in an apartment “Piazza Costaguti”, which is a decent, albeit a very noisy place to stay. The best thing about it is that it is located in an ancient building, with living room and master bedroom windows facing the busiest central square of the Ghetto, in the very heart of it. It is a traffic-free zone, and the square is buzzing around clock - during the day crowds of tourists, led by loud guides; at the same time the main street of Via del Portico d'Ottavia is lined with inexpensive, open-air restaurants which are very popular and filled to capacity; consequently, the street musicians music is playing non-stop, and you will enjoy its merits from early afternoon towards late evening.
If you stay in Jewish Ghetto , be aware that as anywhere in Rome and Italy, the traffic-free zone does not mean that indeed no motor vehicle will break the pedestrian serenity. Although the square is protected by a metal barrier, some cars and especially motorcycles manage to sneak, enough of them to crack up deafening noise - the sound of a roaring engine reverberates at the buildings walls surrounding the small square. The fun continues into late night or early morning - till 3 am often; then, a cleaning truck will announce its arrival with incredible clamour, able to wake up the dead.
Everything gets closed Friday afternoon for Sabbath, and it becomes maybe a notch quieter, but then the youth gathers thickly by 10 pm, humming through the night. Piazza Costaguti never sleeps!
I stayed in the Ghetto at the end of October, the weather was perfect - sunny and warm, and the place was incredibly noisy day and night. Then in two weeks it became much colder, the rain came and the place attained some serenity and dreamy air – the tourists disappeared and the open-air restaurants moved inside. Yet the cleaning truck would visit each night, and young locals would not miss a drier night to hang out and even play soccer, as late as 10 pm.
However, even despite the noise, the place is very atmospheric. The immediate neighborhood is the richest in history - Portico d'Ottavia, the August's sister, is right there; Piazza Mattei with its beautiful fountain and Palazzo Costaguti, which is not open to the public, yet one can imagine great frescos that Stendhal mentions in his "Promenades dans Rome". Chiesa di San Carlo ai Catinari is another great baroque edifice, and Capella Costaguti with the cardinal hat laid in marble mosaic is the first chapel on the right.
Another great walk is along Via dei Funari, admiring, as Josef Brodsky, marvelous palazzi lining it, with a visit to Chiesa di Santa Maria in Campitelli and review of the magnificent Palazzo Albertoni across the church.
Those moved by the story of Beatrice Cenci will find Palazzo Cenci in two-minute walk, and the Palazzo where she was kept under arrest on Via Giulia, nearby.
The location of Ghetto is also very well linked with public transportation. Take a bus either to Teatro di Marcello or to Argentina (Largo di Torre Argentina) – both are also excellent, amazing sightseens. If you decide to use the bus, seriously beware of pickpocketing - it thrives in buses, which are otherwise very useful and efficient to get anywhere relatively quickly. ATAC website will make a route for you from Jewish Ghetto anywhere in Rome you'll want to go:
http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG
Staying as a Roman in one of Ghetto apartments is easy – there are two food supermarkets - Despar on Corso Vittorio Emmanuele and Punto right behind San Carlo, towards Sant’Andrea della Vale, on Via dei Monti della Farina. In the latter supermercato there is fresh fish stand towards the weekend, where you can buy the daily catch. Alternatively, you can shop for any food at Campo de Fiori, and there are numerous pizzerias around, selling every imaginable kind of pizza.
Naturally, there are a few kosher bakeries, to which people line up on Sunday morning. Overall, it is a marvelous area to stay in Rome - I stayed there for a month; the location is unbeatable yet the street noise is very intense, even if it subsides in November. But … you will feel the throbbing life of Rome, which is so lively.
Written July 25, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camper15642
Sf Bay Area, California1 contribution
Great area of the city to stay in. Feels small town in the middle of such a big city. You will still encounter the hustel and bustel, but for some reason you feel as if you are in an enclosed area. Not a spot for the uppity, but the 30's, semi-hip crowd will enjoy.
Written July 1, 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul R
Teaneck, NJ76 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
As a Jew I love visiting Jewish communities in other cities. To become better educated about the oldest community outside of Israel was wonderful. To wander around the square near the synagogue, to go to the synagogue to tour and to pray, to eat at one of the Kosher restaurants and to go to the best bakery in Rome were all great tourist experiences. Anyone of any religion would also appreciate.
Written March 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maggi713
Baltimore, MD12,381 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
During WWII, more than 2,000 Jews were deported from Rome and sent to Auschwitz (more than 7,000 Jews from all over Italy were deported to deaths camps in the Reich.)
Only 102 of the Jews deported from Rome survived. Today, Rome's Jewish community is thriving, still in the Ghetto neighborhood, which has today become one of central Rome's loveliest areas for strolling and eating.
In the mid 1990's, German artist Gunter Demnig had the idea to commemorate victims of the Holocaust by placing stolpersteine (stumbling blocks or stepping stones) in front of the last place the victims lived. The stone would be a way of symbolically returning that person to their home. They are made of concrete, then covered in brass, and engraved - "Here lived..." and then "arrested" or "deported" and the date of death, and place of death if known. There are 84 stones in Rome. In Rome, these stepping stones are mostly concentrated along the streets of the Jewish Ghetto, where so many Jews lived during the occupation. But, there are also stolpersteine all around other parts of Rome as well.
There are now more than 40,000 of these stones in cities all across Europe. They commemorate not only Jews but also many other victims of the Holocaust including gypsies, homosexuals, blacks, communists and others.
Only 102 of the Jews deported from Rome survived. Today, Rome's Jewish community is thriving, still in the Ghetto neighborhood, which has today become one of central Rome's loveliest areas for strolling and eating.
In the mid 1990's, German artist Gunter Demnig had the idea to commemorate victims of the Holocaust by placing stolpersteine (stumbling blocks or stepping stones) in front of the last place the victims lived. The stone would be a way of symbolically returning that person to their home. They are made of concrete, then covered in brass, and engraved - "Here lived..." and then "arrested" or "deported" and the date of death, and place of death if known. There are 84 stones in Rome. In Rome, these stepping stones are mostly concentrated along the streets of the Jewish Ghetto, where so many Jews lived during the occupation. But, there are also stolpersteine all around other parts of Rome as well.
There are now more than 40,000 of these stones in cities all across Europe. They commemorate not only Jews but also many other victims of the Holocaust including gypsies, homosexuals, blacks, communists and others.
Written February 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
qualcuno sa indicarmi come poter contattare un guida per il ghetto ebraico a roma?
Written August 30, 2017
Prova nel sito "amici di Roma". L'itinerario n16 è relativo alla visita guidata nel ghetto ma non conosco prezzi e tempi. Io ho visitato il ghetto da sola, con guida cartacea Lonely Planet!
Written August 31, 2017
salve a tutti, qualcuno mi saprebbe consigliare un localizzo carino dove mangiare ed assaggiare dei veri piatti tipici?? senza magari lasciarci i portafogli..grazie
Written August 30, 2017
difficile consigliare rispetto al quartiere è tutto di sapore più turistico che autentico. I csrciofivalla giudia li trovi fatti bene anche fuori dal ghetto.prova quelli che ti ispirano come cucina kosher guardando i menu. il costo è sempre medio alto come il casino all' interno.
Written October 23, 2017
we will only be arriving on a Friday to Rome and would like to go to the Jewish Ghetto for the afternoon what time does everything close restaurants, stores the Synagogue on the Sabbath thanks
Written June 30, 2017
The Synagogue closes at 2:00 PM on Friday - Sun thru Thurs. it is open from 10 to 5. Most restaurants should be open. For example, my favorite is Nonna Betta and it is open from 11 to 11 - but check with restaurant first before you go.
Have a great trip.
Written June 30, 2017
Is there a stop on the hop on/hop off bus that would take us to this area?
Written July 21, 2016
Not that I saw. But we walked all around downtown (central) Rome easily.
Not sure where you'll be staying, but Rome taxis are also reasonable.
I suggest getting a map and trying to walk to the area from anywhere in central Rome if that's where you are located. There are amazing sites around every corner and you don't see them from a car or bus.
Written July 27, 2016
Brian W
Weston, Florida
What restaurant would you recommend for dinner in the Jewish Ghetto?
Written March 12, 2016
Hi, finally getting back to you.
We had a fabulous meal in Trastevere, which was recommended by our tour guide.
There are many little holes in the wall around this area, which serve traditional food.
I cannot remember the name of the place we went to.
So sorry I cannot be of more assistance.
Kind regards,
Lorraine Anderson
Written March 14, 2016
Brian W
Weston, Florida
How far is the Jewish Ghetto from the Hotel Majestic Rome?
Written March 12, 2016
It is an easy bus ride, or a taxi is much easier and very reasonable.
We took cab and returned after a day of walking aound on with public transportation.
Written March 14, 2016
Can anyone tell me what the little room is within the Jewish Ghetto that has many dolls on shelves on the walls.
Written February 1, 2016
Sorry, we did not see it. Sounds interesting though.
Written February 2, 2016
I am planning to visit on December 25. As this is a Friday,will the Synagogue be open and what time will the restaurants close?
Written October 3, 2015
How do you get in touch with the tour guide?
Written September 24, 2015
You misunderstood. I actually never visited the Temple by way of Museum or guide. (Actually it is gated so I kind of felt it was "off limits". Probably wrong.) I'm sure it would be a simple matter of getting in touch with on-site persons, and believe me it's a "stone's throw" from places that you're bound to visit, (Not far from the Roman Forum, or the Capitoline Hill. Of course the Theatre of Marcellus is literally steps away) so I'd give it a try. (I was kind of naive and timorous (?) about new things while there. DON'T YOU BE. I regret that now.)
Written October 3, 2015
There are plenty of buses from Termini. It's like a depot for many lines. When I was there I would take the #64 to Piazza Venezia and change to the # 60 and get off at Piazza Cairoli. It could all have changed by now since this was a number of years ago that I lived there.
Written October 3, 2015
Showing results 1-10 of 11
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing