The word “Ghetto” is of Venetian origin, it means an iron foundry, a place where iron was “gettato” cast. Until 1390, the casting was done on a small Island, in the Cannaregio area. In 1516 the Doge’s decided to confine the city’s Jewish population to this Island.

Venice’s Jewish population once lived here, segregated from their non-Jewish neighbors.

Today the small neighborhood has centuries of history.

The Jewish Museum

The precious objects are shown to the public, important examples of goldsmith and textile manufacture made between the 16th and the 19th centuries are a lively witnessing of the Jewish tradition. It offers a wide selection of ancient books and manuscripts and some objects used in the most important moments of the cycle of civil and religious life.

The Jewish Museum is built in two areas, the first one devoted to the cycle of Jewish festivities and to objects used for liturgy, the latter- planned with a greater educational approach- deals with the history of Venetian Jews through images and objects.