Venice's Ghetto

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LEFT: Bridge to the Campo Ghetto Nuovo from the Calle Farnese in Cannaregio.

Where to stay

There's now a hotel on the Campo del Ghetto Nuovo. It's called the Locanda del Ghetto, and rates are reasonable by Venice standards. (It's a "Town House Suites 1st Category" property, the equivalent of a three-star hotel.)

Reaching the Ghetto

Walk or take the vaporetto (water bus) to the Ponte delle Guglie/Ghetto stop on the Fondamenta di Cannaregio, just above the Ponte delle Guglie bridge. You'll see a low rectangular arched doorway next to the Gam Gam restaurant. Go through the arch, and you'll be in the Ghetto Vecchio. Keep on walking to reach the larger (and older) Ghetto Nuovo, where you'l also find the Jewish Community Museum.

Need clearer instructions? See the map and directions for the old Al Faro, a trattoria-pizzeria in the Ghetto Nuovo that closed in early 1998. (It later reopened under new ownership.)

If you're coming on foot from the Piazza San Marco or Rialto, you can turn right from the Rio terrą S. Leonardo or the Rio terrą Farsetti and work your way toward the Calle Farnese and its bridge (see photo above). Or, if you're coming from the Madonna dell'Orto Church or its vaporetto stop, head west on the Fondamenta degli Ormesini until you see a small footbridge leading to the Campo Ghetto Nuovo.

Web links

Virtual Jewish History Tour: Venice
Rebecca Weiner wrote this article for JewishVirtualLibrary.org.

Wikipedia: Jewish Community of Venice
This page has basic information and a handful of Web links on past and current Jewish life in Venice.

The Ancient Jewish Cemetery at The Lido of Venice
Venice actually has two Jewish cemeteries on the Lido: one old, one new. The older (and smaller) cemetery is said to be the oldest graveyard in Europe, dating back to a time when Jews were buried in sand on the edges of the Venetian lagoon.

UD Travel: Venice Ghetto
Bruce Gerstman's travelogue is accompanied by photos and a Shockwave map.

Jewish Venice
Emissaries from the Lubavitcher Rebe in New York established a local chabad in 1991; today, the community operates a rabbinical academy, a Jewish library, a chabad house, the Gam Gam kosher restaurant (see below), and a Web site that doesn't always work.

Related Venice for Visitors articles

Gam Gam
The menu is Israeli and Italian, the staff is Hasidic, and the food is first-rate at this kosher restaurant in the Ghetto Vecchio.

Locanda del Ghetto
If you're Jewish or simply have an interest in the Venetian Ghetto, try this newish hotel on the Campo del Ghetto Nuovo.

Madonna dell'Orto Church
Tintoretto's parish church is generously decorated with his paintings, and it's an easy (and pleasant) walk from the Ghetto Nuovo. At the nearby vaporetto stop, you can enjoy a view of the lagoon on your way back to the Piazza San Marco, the railway station, or the Piazzale Roma.