Ferrara is a city where “stones” speak. From the marble tombstones in the Jewish Cemetery to the modern “stumbling stones”, they all tell a centuries-old story: that of Ferrara's Jewish community, one of the oldest and most vibrant in Italy. This urban walking tour takes visitors on a journey of reflection and discovery, exploring historical memory, culture and spirituality.
The starting point is the ancient ‘orto degli Ebrei’ (Garden of the Jews), the Jewish cemetery located close to Ferrara's Renaissance walls. A quiet place, it contains graves from various periods and the tomb of Giorgio Bassani writer.
From the walls, you enter the historic centre, walking through the medieval streets of the ancient ghetto, where the synagogues still stand today and, on the pavement, the poignant stumbling stones: small golden plaques dedicated to the Ferrara Jewish who were deported to the extermination camps.
The walk continues to the Column of Borso d'Este in Piazza della Cattedrale, a symbol of ducal power.
Finally, the MEIS, Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah, offers an insight into the history and culture of Italian Jewish.
THE ITINERARY IN BRIEF
Jewish cemetery of Via delle Vigne, Via Montebello (deviation for Piazza Ariostea), Via Terranuova, Via Mazzini, Synagogues, Via Vignatagliata, Via Vittoria, Piazza Trento Trieste, Column of Borso in Piazza Cattedrale, Via delle Volte, MEIS Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah
The most important points along the itinerary
Step 7
MEIS National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah
The MEIS was established in the city's former prisons to present the heritage and legacy of Italian Judaism in a comprehensive manner. Its narrative covers 2,200 years of the vital and uninterrupted presence of Jewish in Italy, highlighting their traditions and fundamental contributions to the country's history and culture.
The walk continues from the greenery of the Cemetery, crossing Via Montebello and Via Terranuova, to Via Mazzini, one of the streets of the ancient Jewish ghetto established in 1627 and abolished only in 1859. Here, in addition to the synagogues, there are 15 stumbling stones dedicated to entire families.
From Via Mazzini, the main street of the ghetto, Via Vignatagliata and Via Vittoria branch off like two ribs, where the private homes of the Jewish were mainly located.
The entrance to the synagogues on Via Mazzini, the main thoroughfare of the former ghetto, is marked by two marble slabs. Headquarters of the Jewish community of Ferrara.
In front of the Cathedral, to the left of the Volto del Cavallo (Horse Arch) of the Town Hall, stands a pink and white marble column topped by a bronze statue of Borso d'Este, the first Duke of Ferrara. Following a fire in the 18th century, the column was restored with the addition of white marble, taken from the Jewish Cemetery. The Papal States, then in power, ordered that the marble tombstones be removed from there, ignoring the sacred value of the burials.
During the restoration in 1960, the column was dismantled and the ancient tombstones with Hebrew inscriptions appeared; photographed for study purposes, they were then reincorporated into the monument.
Step 6
Via delle Volte
A long medieval street in Ferrara, characterised by distinctive vaults and arches of various shapes. Not far away, in Via Centoversuri, there is a memorial to the place where the first Jewish who arrived in Ferrara in the 13th century settled.
MEIS National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah
The MEIS was established in the city's former prisons to present the heritage and legacy of Italian Judaism in a comprehensive manner. Its narrative covers 2,200 years of the vital and uninterrupted presence of Jewish in Italy, highlighting their traditions and fundamental contributions to the country's history and culture.
The walk continues from the greenery of the Cemetery, crossing Via Montebello and Via Terranuova, to Via Mazzini, one of the streets of the ancient Jewish ghetto established in 1627 and abolished only in 1859. Here, in addition to the synagogues, there are 15 stumbling stones dedicated to entire families.
From Via Mazzini, the main street of the ghetto, Via Vignatagliata and Via Vittoria branch off like two ribs, where the private homes of the Jewish were mainly located.
The entrance to the synagogues on Via Mazzini, the main thoroughfare of the former ghetto, is marked by two marble slabs. Headquarters of the Jewish community of Ferrara.
In front of the Cathedral, to the left of the Volto del Cavallo (Horse Arch) of the Town Hall, stands a pink and white marble column topped by a bronze statue of Borso d'Este, the first Duke of Ferrara. Following a fire in the 18th century, the column was restored with the addition of white marble, taken from the Jewish Cemetery. The Papal States, then in power, ordered that the marble tombstones be removed from there, ignoring the sacred value of the burials.
During the restoration in 1960, the column was dismantled and the ancient tombstones with Hebrew inscriptions appeared; photographed for study purposes, they were then reincorporated into the monument.
Step 6
Via delle Volte
A long medieval street in Ferrara, characterised by distinctive vaults and arches of various shapes. Not far away, in Via Centoversuri, there is a memorial to the place where the first Jewish who arrived in Ferrara in the 13th century settled.
MEIS National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah
The MEIS was established in the city's former prisons to present the heritage and legacy of Italian Judaism in a comprehensive manner. Its narrative covers 2,200 years of the vital and uninterrupted presence of Jewish in Italy, highlighting their traditions and fundamental contributions to the country's history and culture.
