Matt E's Food & Travel Blog: The Italian Job @ 7/2005

The following pictures are from my trip to Italy in July 2005. The food was beyond fantastic. I had more caprese salads than I could count on the trip. I was able to visit 3 cities. Rome, Firenze, and this small Italian holiday spot in the north called Viareggio. It would be tough to say which city I prefered. Each had its special moments. One of the most moving parts of my visit to Rome was visiting Rome's largest Jewish synagogue. The interior of the dombed structure was so equisite words cannot describe it. There was a multi colored mural painted on the ceiling in rainbow colors, which I found quite odd for a synagogue but still very special. The synagogue was located in what used to be the Jewish Ghetto.

For a brief history of Rome's Jewish community read the following:

The Jewish community in Rome is known to be the oldest Jewish community in Europe and also one the oldest continuous Jewish settlements in the world, dating back to 161 B.C.E. In imperial times about 30,000 Jews lived and worked in Trastevere, just across the river from the city proper.

In 1215 a law was passed obliging Jews to wear a yellow beret or shawl so that they could be easily distinguished. Hostility towards the community gradually increased, reaching its height in the 16th century, during the period of the Inquisition. In 1555 Pope Paul IV confined all the Jews of Rome to a small area which became known as the Ghetto, taking its name from the Jewish quarter of Venice. High walls were built around it and a curfew was imposed.The ghetto was a 200 to 250 meter, four block area in which 4,800 people lived. Only after the Unity of Italy in 1870 did the Jews finally acquire equal rights.